《性命圭旨》Vol. 3

The human head has nine chambers, one of which is called the “Valley Spirit.” The spirit often dwells in this empty, valley-like place. During the day, it is drawn away by external things; at night, it moves with dreams. Thus it cannot remain settled in its proper place. Before the dream of Nanke has ended and before the yellow millet has finished cooking, a person has already lived through, in a single dream, a lifetime of honor and disgrace, wealth and rank, and a century’s joys and sorrows. If the spirit can be made to wander away and not return, to depart and never come back, then the road to the netherworld and the passage dividing life from death will be cut off. From this we can see that people do not live by their own power: the spirit gives them life. Nor do they die by themselves alone: they die when the spirit departs. If the spirit dwells in the Valley Spirit for a long time, how could a person die?

The Perfected Ziyang said, “In refining the spirit, one must refine the spirit that is not stirred by external things.” This is precisely what he meant. Tianyingzi said that even if long study brings stability to the body, without experiencing the “five periods and seven stages” (the changes in body and mind that occur at different stages of cultivation), one is left with nothing but a short-lived, impure body, easily spoiled and destined to decay in form and appearance before returning to emptiness. Some claim that their wisdom and awakening have been restored and believe they have attained the Dao, but they are mistaken; such a claim is truly absurd. As for saying that cultivation consists only of sitting meditation, I grow weary just hearing it. The worth of the ancient sages and immortals lay in their cultivation amid the human community. If that is not the case, then please do not speak lightly, lest you mistake yourself for awakened before you have truly awakened.

Collected Sayings

Instructions for the Fourth Section of the Guiding Principles for Dual Cultivation of Nature and Life Among the Myriad Spirits

Heaven and humanity respond to one another and set things in motion; gather the medicine and return it to the vessel

(A diagram of gathering the medicine and returning it to the vessel is included.)

(The text includes two instructions: “Close the Ren and open the Du” and “Gather the fire and carry the metal.” “Ren” and “Du” refer to the Ren and Du channels. “Vessel” is a metaphor in Neidan cultivation for an inner place of practice, such as the Dantian.)

I heard the master say: People are born by receiving the balanced Qi of Heaven and Earth. They inherently possess the true seed, which can give rise to life without end and can also reach a state beyond birth and death. But people cannot preserve it. They wear it away day after day, until at last they decline and perish. Sometimes they know they should protect the true seed, yet do not understand how to apply the timing of the fire to refine it. Even so, it remains difficult to make it firm, and it can easily be taken away by the changes of nature. If one can protect it without loss and refine it with the timing of the fire until it congeals into an Elixir as solid as gold and jade, one can attain long life and remain imperishable.

If the foundation is not firm, this internal elixir can easily be taken away by the transformations of Creation. If it can be preserved intact and then refined through the proper firing process until it congeals into an elixir, it will become as hard as gold and jade. It is said that this can bring long life, freedom from death, and an end to transformation.

Although alchemy centers on its ingredients, one must first work on the fundamental basis in order to gather and refine them. What is this basis? It is the Taiji within oneself—the source from which all things begin, before Yin and Yang have divided.

Heaven and Earth take their undivided, primordial state as Taiji. In the human body, Taiji is a deep and still state that is difficult to put into words. Through it, Heaven and Earth bring Yin and Yang together to generate the myriad things; through it, the human body likewise brings Yin and Yang together to produce the “Great Medicine”—the Jing and Qi described in Neidan practice. The Great Medicine forms within the body according to the same principle by which Heaven and Earth give birth to the myriad things: both arise through the action of the two Qi of Yin and Yang. Yin and Yang transform one another; the Qi of Heaven and Earth join, and the Qi above and below connect, until all blend into one. This is why the state is called “Chaos.” Chaos is the hidden, deep realm of Heaven and Earth before anything becomes manifest, and it is also the womb in which the Great Medicine is conceived.

The Nanhua Jing, another name for the Zhuangzi, says, “The essence of the utmost Dao is deep and obscure.” The Daode Jing also says, “Deep and dark, yet within it there is essence.” This subtle, real thing is the true seed within the human body. Because it lies within Chaos, it is called “Taiji”; because it is the beginning of the body’s transformations, it is called “pre-Heaven”; because it exists before Yin and Yang have divided, it is called “one Qi.” It is also called “Yellow Sprout,” “Mysterious Pearl,” “True Lead,” and “Yang Essence.” These are different names for the foundation of Neidan.

When this essence congeals between Heaven and Earth, it may become gold or stone, and remain uncorrupted for thousands of years. If a person can turn inward to seek it and congeal their Yang Essence into a treasure, it can endure as long as Heaven and Earth. Even the lastingness of gold and stone cannot compare with it.

Yet this “Yang Jing,” the subtle, Yang natured substance spoken of in Neidan cultivation, is not easily obtained. Everything in the human body that has form and substance is considered Yin and turbid. The Perfected One of the Bedchamber arts therefore asks: “The human body is composed of the Four Great Elements, and is Yin in its entirety. So what, then, is Yang Jing?”

Yanduzi says: “This Yang Jing is hidden within the form, but it is neither in the heart nor in the kidneys. It lies in the one aperture of the Mysterious Pass, the crucial point in Neidan cultivation that is not any visible bodily acupoint.”

Zhao Zhongyi says: “Everything inside and outside the human being belongs to Yin. Do not search for Yang Jing somewhere within the body.”

Yanduzi again says: “This Yang Jing is hidden within the form, but it is neither in the heart nor in the kidneys. It lies in the one aperture of the Mysterious Pass.” Zhao Zhongyi again says: “Everything inside and outside the human being belongs to Yin. Do not search for Yang Jing inside the body.”

Qiu Changchun says: “Although Yang Jing is obtained through internal cultivation, it does not come from the bedchamber arts of gathering and replenishing. It is neither the fleshly body born of one’s parents nor a treasure produced in the mountains and forests. Anyone who clings to searching through the physical form has gone astray; yet one must not leave the body and seek it outside.”

These words sound like trying to fish the moon from water or pick flowers from a mirror: they are difficult to grasp. Even those more gifted than Yan Hui and Min Ziqian would find it hard to understand through conjecture alone. Thus the Patriarchs rarely spoke plainly, and few people in the world knew. This is not only true today; even the ancients used words that were difficult to understand.

For example, the Perfected One of the Jade Cauldron says: “The Five Phases, the Four Images, and the principle of Kan and Li joining are clearly explained in the poem. But how many truly understand and know where the medicine first arises and cultivation begins?”

The Perfected One of Ziyang says: “This matter is rare in the world. How could ordinary people easily know it?”

The Perfected One of Xinglin says: “When Shen and Qi return to the root, and body and mind return to their original life, I imagine few people know the true apertures.”

The Perfected One of Boyang says: “This ‘One’ is used to conceal the matter from people, so they cannot know it. What is this ‘One’? It is the state before discriminating thoughts arise, something ordinary people find difficult to know.”

The Perfected One of Xinglin again says: “When Shen and Qi return to the root, and body and mind return to their original life, I imagine few people know the true apertures.”

Perfected Master Boyang said, “Use ‘the One’ to conceal it from the world, so that people cannot know it.” What is this “One”? It is the original undivided One, before things have manifested—the “primordial Qi” discussed earlier, the Qi of the beginning before Heaven and Earth were separated.

The Cui Xu Pian says, “To refine the Great Medicine, one must rely on Shen, Qi, and Jing, gathering them together so that they blend and congeal. The foundation of the elixir is simply innate Qi. Through refinement and cultivation, it becomes the Yellow Sprout—a symbol of life beginning to stir in Neidan practice—and reveals an essence as beautiful as jade.”

The Fu Ming Pian says, “Gather the Qi from before Heaven and Earth were separated; seize the essence from the first union of the Dragon and Tiger, the Yin-Yang energies. Let it flash into the Yellow Chamber, a metaphor for the inner space used in alchemical practice, and refine it into the most precious treasure.”

The Chong Zheng Pian says, “In a fathomless, freezing abyss, a black dragon sleeps. Beneath its jaw lies a bright, crimson pearl. Guard it carefully and keep your secret; only if you do not disturb the dragon can you obtain the pearl. You must also follow the proper timing and employ subtle methods.”

To “gather” means to appear not to gather, yet to gather in truth; to “take” means to appear not to take, yet to take in truth. This is achieved in a state of stillness and single-mindedness, not by forcing the matter through outward actions.

Once, the Yellow Emperor lost the Mysterious Pearl, a symbol of the precious Dao or inner truth. He sent Zhi to look for it, then Li Zhu, then Chigou, but none could find it. At last he sent Wangxiang, who did find it. Wangxiang means “forgetting the body.” Only by forgetting the body and letting go of attachment can one obtain innate Qi.

The Ji Lang Ji: Xiantian Yin says, “A single portion of innate Qi is called the Great Void, the vast and formless origin. Only when the mind is free of concerns can one see the subtle reality within it.”

It also says, “If you ask what innate reality is, not a single word can be spoken. Only after the postcelestial state begins is there work to be done in cultivation.”

What is innate? It is the state of stillness and nonmovement, deep and obscure, before the Taiji, the origin of the cosmos, has divided. What is postcelestial? It is the state in which response and communication arise, and things remain elusive and hard to grasp, after the Taiji has divided.

The Hunyuan Baozhang says, “In stillness and nonmovement, one can respond and communicate, thereby glimpsing the workings of Yin-Yang and the generative power of transformation.” Indeed, when the mind is still and unmoving, it can connect with the Way of Heaven and grasp the workings of creation and transformation.

The Cui Xu Pian says, “Do not search for the workings of transformation in the kidneys; seek the innate within the heart.”

When joy and anger have not yet arisen, and sight and hearing cannot reach, it is as though rivers and seas are silent, mountains conceal their mists, the sun and moon cease their courses, the celestial instrument Xuanji, symbol of the motions of the heavens, no longer turns, and the Eight Meridians of the body return to their source. Do not seek the workings of creation only in the kidneys; also search within the heart for the inborn secret.

At such a time, even breathing seems to disappear. One enters a deep, obscure state and no longer knows that the sky covers or the earth supports, nor that there are other people in the world or a body of one’s own. After a while, the Qi of the Three Palaces, the inner regions involved in refining Jing, Qi, and Shen, becomes full, and an inner vitality stirs. A faint sound arises, like cleaving chaos with a single sword and splitting open the primordial vastness with both hands. This is called “something arising from nothing.”

Ning Xuanzi writes in a poem: “It is neither amid the turmoil of the dusty world nor in the depths of the mountains; one need only keep searching to the very end of the vast darkness.” The “very end of the vast darkness” is the point at which emptiness is brought to its utmost and stillness reaches its deepest. When the heart contains no distractions, this is called “emptiness”; when no thoughts arise, this is called “stillness.” When emptiness reaches its utmost and stillness is held deep, Yin and Yang naturally unite. From their union, Yang essence arises. Here, “Yang essence” means the Yang nature of Jing and Qi spoken of in Neidan practice.

Thus Chen Tuan said, “Preserve the Yang essence, and you have the foundation for becoming an immortal.” Yang essence arises each day, but people do not know how to gather and concentrate it, so it disperses as Qi flowing throughout the body. Those who have succeeded in cultivation use methods to draw it back and condense it into a bead the size of a millet grain. Buddhists call it Bodhi; Daoist practitioners call it the true seed. If those who cultivate nature do not recognize this “Bodhi seed,” they will, as the Scripture of Perfect Enlightenment says, fall into practices that stray from the right path. If those who cultivate life do not recognize this “true seed,” they will, as the Scripture of Jade Florescence says, fall into the heterodox practice of sitting in vain.

Zhang Ziyang, a Daoist and Neidan practitioner of the Northern Song, said: “Cultivating the Great Dao has its difficulties and its ease. The key is to rely both on oneself and on the timing of Heaven. If a person does not know when the medicine takes shape, or how to gather and refine it, cultivation will seem difficult, and its ease will remain unseen. If one truly understands the timing of the medicine’s formation, the instructions for gathering it, and the methods for refining it, cultivation will seem easy, and its difficulties will remain unseen. The difference lies in whether one has met a teacher who can transmit the teaching. Thus it is said: ‘The moment of the full moon must be recognized through oral instruction; the subtlety of the Zi hour must be received mind to mind.’ Yet there are two meanings of the Zi hour: the ‘living Zi hour,’ which arises within the body, and the ‘true Zi hour,’ which is a time on the clock.

“I once heard Master Yin say: ‘To seek the foundation for forming the Elixir, one must recognize the living Zi hour within the body.’

“There is also a verse:

“Only after reading the Preface to the Golden Elixir does one learn of the ‘Mysterious Female Portal’—the vital opening in Neidan practice through which essence and Qi are generated and transformed. After reading The Mirror for Compounding the Medicine, one knows only the places where the mind’s intention reaches. The Zi hour has another meaning as well: the true Zi hour, the time on the clock.”

“I once heard Master Yin say: ‘To seek the foundation for forming the Elixir, one must recognize the living Zi hour within the body.’

“There is also a verse:

“Only after reading the Preface to the Golden Elixir does one learn of the ‘Mysterious Female Portal’; after reading The Mirror for Compounding the Medicine, one knows only the places where the mind’s intention reaches.

“The Great Dao encompasses Yin-Yang, which changes in accordance with movement and stillness. In stillness, one enters a deep and silent state; in movement, subtle and elusive responses arise.

“‘True Earth’ is divided into Wu Earth and Ji Earth—terms in Neidan that describe the harmonizing of Yin and Yang and the transformation of essence and Qi. Wu and Ji do not appear at the same time. When Ji Earth arrives, one need only follow it naturally; to bring it to completion, however, requires active effort.

“Use the Lead of the Kan trigram, which symbolizes Yang within Yin, in the refining process, and combine it with the Mercury of the Li trigram, which symbolizes Yin within Yang. When Lead and Mercury congeal into cinnabar, body and mind can enter a state of stability.

“Movement and stillness, darkness and mystery, and True Earth are all terms used in the instructions for the living Zi hour.

“What are movement and stillness? Stillness means being quiet and unmoving, returning to the root, like the state of repose symbolized by the Kun trigram; at this time, one should wait quietly. When stillness reaches its extreme, it turns into movement: Yang Qi quietly begins to emerge, like the first birth of Yang symbolized by the Fu hexagram; at this time, one should move with it and respond. If stillness is mixed in when movement is called for, or movement when stillness is called for, or if one urges the process forward too soon and later forgets to grasp its moment, one fails to accord with the natural pattern of movement and stillness.”

In ancient times, the perfected person—one whose cultivation had reached a very high level—acted in accordance with the Dao (the Way) and, in stillness, was deep and serene. They acted when it was time to act and became still when it was time to be still, following a constant principle. Today, those who study the Dao do not understand that in the methods of the Elixir, movement and stillness each have their proper measure. Some emphasize movement alone; others emphasize stillness alone. They interpret “movement” as circulating Qi, or vital energy, and “stillness” as entering meditative absorption. Both interpretations are mistaken.

The Zhi Xuan Pian says: “A person’s Qi and blood naturally circulate within the body, while the Qi that nourishes and protects the body, together with Yin and Yang, cycles without cease, day and night. Why, then, shut oneself away to practice circulating Qi? It is like putting a second head on top of the first.” This makes clear that the “movement” described in the methods of the Elixir does not mean deliberately circulating Qi.

The Cui Xu Pian says: “The workings of Heaven and Earth have their own genuine and wondrous efficacy; there is no need to sit rigidly in silence. If the mind is empty of thoughts and imaginings, consciousness will grow dull. How, then, could an immortal embryo—the embryo spoken of in internal alchemy—coalesce?” This makes clear that the “stillness” described in the methods of the Elixir does not mean entering meditative absorption without qualification.

When ordinary people have reached the utmost in activity, they naturally turn toward stillness and then enter a deep, indistinct state. The “mysterious depths” spoken of here refer to a state in which, while awake, body and mind are utterly still, as though there were no Heaven and Earth, no self and no others. It is not a dream. In dreams, one experiences joy and anger, fear and alarm, distress, sorrow and delight, love and desire, just as in waking life. This is entirely different from the state of mysterious depths, in which it seems there is no Heaven and Earth, no self and others.

This deep, indistinct state can arise only when daytime activity has reached its utmost and turns toward stillness. During deep sleep at night, one is bound to dream; how could such a state occur then? During the day, there are often opportunities to enter these mysterious depths, but people are usually disturbed by tangled thoughts and desires. Few are truly able to enter that state when the opportunity arises.

Cui Gong’s Mirror for Entering the Medicine (a Daoist Neidan text) says, “At any of the twelve double-hours of the day, wherever the mind’s intent goes, that can be used for cultivation.” The mind’s intent stirs more than once in a day, and the medicine likewise arises more than once. This is what Zhang Ping-shu (Zhang Boduan) meant by “one particle after another, growing from subtle to manifest.”

In general, one must seek the medicine through true intent—the mind’s natural, uncontrived awareness. Hence the saying, “Seek true lead with the mind,” and also, “Ever search attentively in the Flower Pond,” a Neidan term for the body’s fluids or related inner regions cultivated in practice. True intent within the human body is “true Earth.” True Earth arises at its own appointed time. It is not brought about by external stimulation but emerges naturally; even being in a noisy place cannot prevent it. That is why it is called “true Earth.”

Earth is divided into Wu Earth and Ji Earth, and so intent, too, has two forms: Yang intent and Yin intent. “True” means free of the slightest force or pretense. If even a little deliberate forcing, fabricated speculation, or calculated scheming is mixed in, it is no longer true intent but false intent.

With this kind of true intent, true lead can arise. The saying “When true intent appears, true lead is born” means that when movement reaches its limit, it returns to stillness. Once true intent arrives, a person enters a quiet, indistinct state. This intent is Yin and is called Ji Earth. At the moment Yin and Yang unite, “the first Yang line stirs”: one senses the heart and mind becoming clear and open, while warm Qi fills and flows through the body. After Yin and Yang unite, true Jing arises naturally. True Jing is true lead, also called “lead from the water region”; in the end, there is only this one.

When the Qi of Yin and Yang meet, change is about to appear but has not yet emerged, and a person enters a state of hazy uncertainty. This is the moment when stillness reaches its utmost and movement begins. The thought that arises then belongs to Yang and is called “Wu Earth” (an internal alchemy term for the thought that harmonizes and gathers in Yang Qi as it begins to stir). At this point, “true lead” (an internal alchemy term for the true Yang Qi cultivated in practice) begins to show faintly, and the seed of the elixir has just sprouted. Inner signs are already present, but remain very subtle, like the barely perceptible spark of life when Yang Qi first rises at dawn. One should activate the gates and orifices and promptly apply oneself to gathering and drawing it in. If this moment—when Yin and Yang are on the verge of separating, and movement begins in a hazy state—is missed, the true Jing that arises in the depths of darkness may dissipate.

The practice called “gathering and taking” refers to Patriarch Bodhidharma’s “Form-Release Formula” and Patriarch Haichan’s “Formula of the First Vehicle.” The two formulas are broadly similar. Their essential methods are the four actions of “inhaling, licking, drawing in, and closing”: using inner-cultivation breathing, movements of the tongue, gathering, and sealing to draw in Jing and Qi. Patriarch Chunyang said, “From the depths of darkness arises a hazy Qi; the hazy Qi gathers and forms a mass.” This describes precisely this method.

Although this is a practice carried out with intention, without “true Earth,” where could one begin? This is the gathering of lead. Since true lead is born from true Earth, it is said, “True Earth captures true lead.” Once true lead rises, it joins with “true mercury” (an internal alchemy term for the true Yin Qi that complements true Yang Qi). Held in by true lead, true mercury will not fly off; hence the saying, “True lead controls true mercury.” Since both lead and mercury are regulated by true Earth, body and mind naturally settle into stillness, and the great medicine of the Golden Elixir then congeals and forms.

Within the course of a day, there naturally comes a moment when Yang Qi begins to stir again. This moment is not fixed at the Winter Solstice or the first day of the month, nor does it necessarily occur during the Zi hour (from eleven at night to one in the morning). This “living Zi hour”—the moment when Yang Qi stirs within the body in response to its own movement of Qi—is exceedingly subtle. Without a deep understanding of the changes in Yin-Yang between Heaven and Earth, and of the transformations within the human body, it is difficult to grasp.

Since a day has twelve double-hours, it might seem that any point where Yin and Yang meet could be used for cultivation. Why, then, did the ancient immortals choose the Zi hour in the middle of the night, when Yang Qi has just begun to stir? At that time, the sun is in the north, while the Qi within the body has reached the Tail Gate, near the base of the spine, where the Qi of the Governing Vessel passes. This corresponds precisely to the changes of Yin-Yang between Heaven and Earth. One can therefore draw upon the moment of transformation in Heaven and Earth, experience the subtle workings of Yin-Yang, unite the Hun and Po souls, and cultivate both nature and life—the spiritual nature and the living body.

This is the stage when the Kun hexagram turns into the Fu hexagram. It is as if Heaven and Earth are newly opened at this moment, the sun and moon meet, and plants begin to sprout. The meeting of Yin and Yang within the human body also occurs at this time. When practitioners “gather the medicine”—taking in and refining the first stirrings of Jing and Qi within the body as they cultivate Neidan—the true inner transformation can correspond with the movements of Heaven and Earth, like the two halves of a tally fitting together. This is the moment when Heaven and humanity act together, a process of utmost subtlety.

Chen Niniwan said, “Whenever Yin and Yang in Heaven and Earth come together, one must seize the opening in their transformative workings.”

The Scripture of the Hidden Talisman says, “Miss the moment, and the body will decline; grasp the opening in the transformative process, and the changes of the myriad things can be brought to rest.” What, then, is this “opening”? It lies in the deepest source of Heaven and Earth’s generative power—the Heavenly Root—and in the innermost principle: the moment when the old gives way to the new and the sun first rises. This moment is easy to sense, yet difficult to put into words. If one can understand its principle, what could remain beyond understanding? This is the most subtle aspect of the true mechanism of transformation.

The subtlety of the Zhouyi is concentrated in the Fu hexagram, and the subtlety of the Fu hexagram is concentrated in its first line, the bottommost line. Hence the saying: “When the Fu hexagram appears, can one not see the heart of Heaven and Earth?”

It is at this very moment that the true mystery of the workings of creation—the patterns by which Heaven and Earth generate and transform—becomes manifest. The Zhouyi (Book of Changes) reveals this mystery most fully; among its hexagrams, the Returning Hexagram reveals it most fully; and within that hexagram, its lowest line, the initial line, reveals it most fully. Hence the saying: “Does not the Returning Hexagram reveal the very heart of Heaven and Earth?”

At this moment, Yang returns between Heaven and Earth, and the same happens in the small world of the human body and mind. If one gathers one’s own Yang inwardly and draws in the Yang between Heaven and Earth from without, will the Yang of Heaven and Earth not converge within oneself and become the “ingredients” used in cultivation? Yet vast as Heaven and Earth may be, and profound as the workings of creation may be, they cannot go beyond this moment of activation. When something stirs here, something responds there: this is simply the natural order.

Once one understands this moment when Heaven and humanity are stirred into action together, one sits quietly at midnight, gathers the spirit and concentrates Qi, draws in the gaze, listens inwardly and reflects within, shuts off the senses’ outward activity, and secures the foundation within. When the mind gives rise to no thoughts, all distracting thoughts cease at once. Body and mind become one undivided whole, as though Taiji had not yet separated into its parts; still and profound, as though Yin and Yang had not yet appeared. The mind is clear and rests alone, like a clear, deep pool reflecting the moon, still and unmoving, or like motionless water without a ripple. At this time, one is aware neither of one’s own body nor of the universe beyond it.

As the hour of Hai draws to a close and the hour of Zi begins—the changeover between the ancient Chinese hours—Yang Qi is arriving, and one must gather it in time. If Yang Qi has not yet arrived, one waits in emptiness and stillness, without daring to act ahead of the moment.

Qu Yuan’s “Far-off Journey” says:

“The Dao may be received, but it cannot be transmitted.

It is so small that it has no outside, and so vast that it has no bounds. Do not disturb the spirit; everything will then unfold of itself.

The One Qi is deep and wondrous, nurtured in the middle of the night. Wait in emptiness and stillness; do not act before the moment.”

Xu Jingyang’s “Song of the Three Medicines” says: “Nurture the mind, put an end to thought, and wait for Jing and Qi to congeal.”

The Zhipian says: “Gather in the ears and eyes, preventing the senses from rushing outward; observe quietly, as though lowering a curtain.” This all refers to first gathering the body and mind and quietly awaiting the right moment. When the moment arrives, there is no need to direct the mind deliberately: Yin and Yang within the body meet naturally and congeal into the Elixir. The eight chambers (the chambers within the body) should quietly await their appointed time, like the sun rising of its own accord. One must not try to bring it on prematurely.

The great medicine of the Golden Elixir is conceived within precelestial Qi and takes form through the postcelestial body. Its mystery lies in the moment when Taiji is about to divide but has not yet divided: stillness has reached its utmost, yet has not turned to movement; Yang Qi is about to be reborn, yet has not separated from Yin. At this time, the inner landscape is dim and indistinct, like mountain slopes veiled in drifting haze, water shrouded in mist, or winter snow slowly gathering. It is also like sediment gradually settling in a liquid, as the water grows clearer.

After a while, an itch arises among the pores, the limbs feel soft as cotton, and the mind and spirit grow dazed; at the same time, the sexual organ becomes erect. These bodily responses describe the stirring of Yang Qi. Now Yang Qi flows freely, and when its signs appear, it is like a jade bell ringing and a jade grotto opening. When the moment arrives, Qi transforms into medicine, and the practitioner becomes aware of it. The scriptures also use symbolic phrases such as “the earth thunderclap shakes,” “the Xun gate opens,” and “the dragon leaps toward the eastern pool” to portray Yang Qi stirring and the Mysterious Pass appearing, like pure gold being refined from ore.

Shao Kangjie said: “When Yin and Yang first begin to change, the scene is indistinct; the Qi of Heaven and Earth swirls and mingles. How could that wondrous moment within it be fully explained in words or through practice?”

Bai Yuchan said: “Watch the handle of the Northern Dipper circle through the heavens, and suddenly grasp the wondrous secret of the immortals. A single spark of true Yang rises from the Kan position (a symbol of water, where Yang is contained within Yin), replenishing what is lacking in the Li Palace (a symbol of fire, where Yin is contained within Yang). Since ancient times, the immortals have spoken of the transformations of Kan and Li, which unfold day after day. This year at the winter solstice, the plum blossoms are still covered in white snow.”

The ancient sages chose this day to close their gates and refuse visitors, keeping no contact with the outside world, in order to establish rules of cultivation for all living beings. All things contain the impulse to generate and transform. At the beginning of the Zi hour and the end of the Hai hour, when Yin and Yang alternate at night, the workings of creation unfold silently. Fire arises within water; the subtle wonder lies in the “Cavity of Emptiness and Danger,” a key site in Daoist Neidan where Yin and Yang meet and Jing and Qi are stirred. If one can now discern its mystery, the scene of “the golden bird flying into the toad’s cave” will appear—a metaphor for Yin and Yang joining.

The Cavity of Emptiness and Danger is what is called the “Earth Gate, the Sealed Door,” an aperture symbolizing the restriction of Jing and Qi as they enter and leave. It lies between the Ren and Du vessels, reaching upward to the Celestial Valley, an inner aperture in the head, and downward to Yongquan, an acupuncture point on the sole of the foot. Thus the ancient sages said, “The Gate of Heaven should be opened; the Earth Gate must remain closed for a long time.” The gathering and dispersal of Jing and Qi, the stirring of water and fire, the changes of Yin and Yang, the transformation of being and nonbeing, and the separation of mother and child in the forming of the Elixir Embryo—all take place here.

The Cui Xu Pian says, “There is a path by which mother and child separate; its mystery lies in Wei, Ji, Dou, Niu, and Nü.” The aperture referred to here is of great importance, for it concerns life and death. That is why the immortals call it the “Cavern of Life and Death.”

The Cantong qi says that building up and securing numinous Qi, and closing off the sealed door, both refer to this place.

The Huangting Jing says, “Seal the Gate of Life and preserve the Jade Capital.” The Gate of Life and Jade Capital are bodily sites or apertures in Daoist inner cultivation; this passage refers to the same place. To seal the passage through which Jing and Qi leak out, and thereby live for a long time, refers to it as well.

When True Yang first arises—a Neidan term for the Yang Qi stirred within the body—it takes the form of a raging fire and surges like a fierce wind, breaking through barriers and rushing outward. It must pass through this aperture. If the passage is tightly sealed and guarded, Yang Qi cannot burst out. It must instead be drawn back to the Weilü, the region at the base of the spine, then made to rise and surge along the pathways through the Three Barriers, the checkpoints along which Qi ascends in Neidan cultivation. It reaches the crown of the head, where it joins with True Mercury, a Neidan term symbolizing Yin essence, and forms cinnabar. This process is made possible precisely by restraining and guarding the sealed door.

A verse of instruction in the Collected Works of Lü Zu Chunyang says, “Being arises from nonbeing: this is the sign of the Reverted Elixir. Yang arises within Yin: this is the foundation of the Great Dao.”

A verse of instruction from Li Qing’an’s Song on the Fire Times:

When stillness and emptiness have been cultivated to their deepest point, remain settled in calm. When movement first stirs within stillness, this is “the return of the single Yang”—a sign that Yang Qi is beginning to sprout again.

Zhongli Quan’s Song on Breaking Delusion and Rectifying the Way says:

When that first, true seed—the primordial Qi spoken of in Neidan cultivation—enters the Dantian, it brings life and vitality that endure.

Bai Yuchan’s Song on Unifying the Methods says that when the mouth moves, this is “the return of the single Yang.”

Zhongli Quan’s Song on Breaking Delusion and Rectifying the Way says:

When that first, true seed enters the Dantian, it brings life and vitality that endure.

Bai Yuchan’s Song on Unifying the Methods says:

As soon as the single Yang begins to stir, the Great Elixir is already formed; in an instant, the wondrous workings of creation come into view.

Yingchanzi’s Song on Refining Emptiness says:

When stillness and emptiness reach their utmost, primordial Qi gathers. In stillness upon stillness, Yang Qi begins to sprout again.

Liu Haichan’s Treatise on Returning the Gold says:

It is elusive and hard to find, like trying to scoop the moon from water. It seems plain to see, yet is like picking flowers in a mirror.

Xu Jingyang’s Record of the Stone Cove Treatise says:

Within the indistinct and obscure lie the essences of Heaven and Earth’s two Qi. They can give rise to the myriad things and bring Heaven and Earth together.

Zhang Ziyang’s Understanding Reality says:

Seek visible signs amid the indistinct, and search for the true essence in the depths of empty stillness.

Huanyangzi’s Treatise on Seeing One’s Nature says:

When the sun’s essence and the moon’s radiance unite, “true lead”—the true Yang Qi sought in internal alchemy—will naturally appear.

Zhang Yongcheng’s Understanding Reality says:

If you ask what true lead is, it is the moonlight, the “toad’s radiance,” shining over the Western River all day long—a metaphor for the inner true essence.

The Extensive Collection of the Profound Mysteries of the Various Perfected says:

True lead is not produced from the five metals—gold, silver, copper, iron, and the like. It arises in the obscure realm that existed before Heaven and Earth were opened.

Li Daochun’s Song on the Origin of the Dao says:

Within Kan Water, the trigram symbolizing water and Yin, there is a single point of true Yang. Quickly guide it to unite with Li Fire, the trigram symbolizing fire and Yang.

Li Qing’an’s Anthology of Central Harmony says:

Three things merge and three natures unite; the single Yang returns, and a single Yin then recedes.

Liu Fengzhen’s Within the White Dragon Grotto says:

To learn this subtle secret of cultivation, inquire at the “root of Heaven.” The interval between the Hai and Zi hours is when its true workings are most readily attained.

Oral Instructions of Mei Zhixian’s “Song of Gathering the Medicine”:

The Yin Heel (a region or channel associated with the lower Qi mechanism in Neidan cultivation) and the Mud Ball (the upper Dantian in the head) set the single Qi circulating up and down: it descends through the Earth Gate (a lower aperture) and rises to stir the Heaven Gate (an upper aperture).

Oral Instructions of Shi Xinglin:

All sounds begin like a rising wind, while the moon above a thousand mountains has become full three times. You should act quickly to set vitality in motion; then you can circulate the orbit of Heaven (guide the Qi mechanism along pathways within the body).

Oral Instructions of Yingchanzi:

This may be called the “extraordinary Dao”; the work of cultivation is an outer practice. That one true transformation and creation takes place amid a hazy, profound obscurity.

Oral Instructions of Shi Dezhi:

To gather the medicine, gather it from the place where the heavenly Qi (innate Qi) has been lost. To use fire, seek the essence of the sun (a symbol of Yang energy). If you understand how to gather the medicine and use the fire, you will see the Elixir formed in stillness.

Oral Instructions of Lü Chunyang:

To seek the way of longevity, you must recognize the original source (the root of life, or one’s primordial nature). In the end, there is only one medicine, though it is given hundreds and thousands of names.

Oral Instructions of the Scripture of the Golden and Jade Writings:

The Primordial Lord (a deity or cultivating subject in Neidan) begins to refine Mercury; the Spirit Chamber (a symbolic inner abode for Neidan cultivation) contains the Cavern of Emptiness. Mysterious White (a Neidan term for the state in which Yin and Yang essences merge) gives rise to the Golden Duke (a symbol of Yang essence), thereby establishing the lofty first foundation.

Oral Instructions of Peng Helin:

After receiving the oral instructions, return and try the cultivation. Dragon and tiger contend (a symbol of the meeting of the two forces of Yin and Yang within the body) in only an instant. Those in the heavens of the Nine Blossoms know what happens: in a single night, wind and thunder shake the ten thousand mountains, a metaphor for the vigorous stirring and transformation of the Qi mechanism during cultivation.

Oral Instructions of Shangyangzi:

The matter of the tiger is most difficult to explain; even after finding it, one still feels its mystery and depth. At the moment when the One Yang (the first stirrings of Yang Qi) begins to move and Gui Water (a Neidan term often referring to Yin essence or the essence in the kidneys) arises, this is called the “Great First Moment.”

Oral Instructions of Chen Niniwan:

Half a catty of true Mercury and half a catty of Lead (Neidan terms symbolizing the essences of Yin and Yang) lie hidden before the Numinous Source (the source of life) and Taiji (the fundamental state before Heaven and Earth divide and Yin and Yang are distinguished). Gather them at the hour of the Rat (midnight); once refined into Liquid Gold (the pure inner essence described in Neidan cultivation), send it into the Dantian.

Oral Instructions of Lü Chunyang:

Grasp the Golden Essence (a symbol of pure Yang Qi) and stabilize the foundation; the sun’s soul is in the east, the moon’s radiance in the west (the sun and moon symbolize the essences of Yin and Yang). Refine the medicine of longevity within them; after taking it, you may endure as long as Heaven and Earth.

Oral Instructions of Xu Shenweng:

The brilliant Golden Flower is the essence of the sun and moon; the harmonious Jade Liquid is the quintessence of Heaven and Earth. In the deep of night, the sky is clear and dustless; only the moonlight shines upon the Spirit Water (a Neidan term for the essence generated through cultivation).

Oral Instructions of Chen Moran:

In Metal of Dui (in the Bagua, Dui corresponds to Metal and also symbolizes the west), the myriad treasures are coming to maturity. The osmanthus moon (the moon) shines especially bright at mid-autumn. This is the right time to practice gathering and refining.

Chen Moran says: The west belongs to Dui and to Metal. When the season reaches autumn, all things ripen, and the moon at mid-autumn shines with special brightness. This is the right time to apply oneself, begin gathering and refining, and wait with a mind of emptiness and stillness for “the birth of one Yang”—the moment when Yang energy first arises.

The Collection of Profound Mysteries says: The Jade Pool, where the body’s fluids gather during cultivation, is filled with the cool water of spirit. At night, white snow seems to whirl along its banks. Amid the snow, someone catches the Jade Rabbit and urges the bright moon to rise above the cold branches. Images such as the “Jade Rabbit” and “bright moon” describe the inner landscape of cultivation and the process of gathering and refining.

Chen Tunan says: In the deep and dim, a faint sign begins to appear; in a hazy state, the two have not yet separated. Within it is a ruling presence: the true seed of human beings. Here, “true seed” refers to the fundamental vital force that cultivation seeks to grasp.

Chen Cuixu says: Take only the single ingredient called “Metal in Water” and gather it into the realm of empty, formless transformation. Let all the channels return to their root. When the pulse and breath have come to rest and the breath is settled, the internal elixir begins to congeal.

Long Mangzi says: The original, prenatal Qi is called “Lead.” Do not trust the confused to point the way carelessly or pass teachings on indiscriminately. The interaction and growth of north and south depend on the first signs that appear; the vital spirit can be gathered only through restraint and control.

Zhongli Quan says: Close the Dui opening—draw in the tongue and the outer senses—and lower the eyelids to observe quietly. It is as if white snow were swirling through the air. Gather it carefully so it does not disperse; store and nourish it as you wait for the lone moon to rise.

Xue Daoguang says: Though it seems to be Wuwei, there is action within it. In Kan there is something white, which must be brought into the position of Li. When the water source reaches perfect clarity, a glimmer of spirit appears, though others find it hard to perceive.

Lü Dongbin says: Do not wonder that news from the Jade Pool, a pond in the realm of the immortals, is scarce. The turmoil of human affairs has cut off the workings of Heaven. If someone finds “Fire in Water,” a yellow child—symbolizing the spirit or vital Qi in internal alchemy—will rise to Taiwei, the celestial region where the stellar officials reside.

The Venerable Li, known as Yingchanzi, says: To open the Mysterious Pass, the key to effective effort lies in “the return of one Yang,” when Yang energy begins to arise again. As soon as the Heavenly Stem, a sign of Yin essence stirring within the body, appears, begin gathering and refining without delay. Do so with reverence and unwavering focus.

Shao Kangjie says: Suddenly, in the middle of the night, a thunderclap sounds, and every household opens its doors in turn. If you can recognize the image contained within the formless, you can say that you have seen Fuxi, the legendary sage king of antiquity, with your own eyes.

The oral formula of Shangyangzi:

It is originally the true intent of the Golden Elixir hidden in the middle of the Kan trigram. Without receiving a master’s transmission, one may toil in practice and still gain nothing. Only when the inner treasure storehouse suddenly opens does one understand: wood must be nourished by earth to grow into a forest.

Chen Cuixu’s oral teaching: A fetus forms from the union of the father’s vital essence and the mother’s blood, and naturally takes after its parents. To grasp the vital essence of the Five Phases, one must recognize within one’s own body the true “parents”—the fundamental forces that give rise to life.

Chen Niniwan’s oral teaching: On the road to the southwest, the moon shines bright, and the Great Medicine—the subtle substance of Neidan practice—arises from there. Remember this line of ancient verse: “Above the River of Crooked Bends, a magpie bridge spans the waters.” The verse evokes the joining of Yin and Yang and the meeting of their breaths in cultivation.

The Collected Secrets’ oral teaching: When refining the Elixir, carefully discern the stages of the firing process and practice diligently day and night, as if tending a medicine furnace. When the “first Yang” is born and Yang energy begins to revive, seize the moment. Once you perceive it arising, gather it promptly; wait until it has weakened and withered, and it will be too late.

Zhang Sanfeng’s oral teaching: The Buddhist master Foyin pointed out that numinous awareness exists within still emptiness; Danyang, the Daoist name of Wang Chongyang, revealed that real being is contained within the formless. Hold fast to that first glimmer of true nature, and you can transcend birth and death and endure forever.

The Collection of Pearls and Jades’ oral teaching: “Lead from the waterland” is a Neidan term for the essence of lead concealed in water. It is a subtle primordial substance, neither spirit nor Qi. It is the very foundation of nature and life, hidden within the heart at the prenatal level.

Shangyangzi’s oral teaching: When the timing is exactly right, the experience is wondrous beyond words, like the full moon in the mid-autumn sky. When Yang energy first arises, gather and refine it without delay. In advancing the firing process—the Neidan practice of using intent to regulate the stages of cultivation—proceed with care and remain alert to its risks.

Chen Niniwan’s oral teaching: Kan contains the refined energy produced by the interplay of water and fire, and the Kan and Li trigrams themselves arise through the transformation of the Qian and Kun trigrams. Take the essence from the Kan palace and use it to replenish the Li position; then Li can return to pure Qian. “Flying jade” here refers to the subtle, pure elixir of the immortals.

The Collected Secrets’ oral teaching: Within the indistinct and elusive lies the utmost essence. The dragon’s cry and the tiger’s roar describe the inner movement that arises when Yin and Yang energies interact, and deserve careful attention. The Mysterious Pearl—the concentrated essence in Neidan practice—soars to Kunlun, while the River Chariot, the route along which vital essence circulates through the body’s channels, turns ceaselessly day and night.

When the currents of Qi within the body draw toward one another and make a sound, there is no need to seek outward: understanding will suddenly dawn. The ancients explained the principle of non-generation through the image of a well sweep, a device for drawing water from a well; yet a mud snake at the bottom of the well leaps up to dance the Zhezhi, an ancient dance. These lines use paradoxical images to express insights gained in cultivation that are difficult to put into words.

Xu Yiping’s instructions:

Returning to the root and restoring the original, one’s work has reached the Qian position, a state symbolizing pure Yang and completion. When one can ascend and descend freely, one is called a flying immortal. The first emergence of Yang Qi marks the day one begins to work; after nine transformations, a term for the repeated refinement and transmutation of alchemical practice, one may speak of the year one attains the Dao.

Chen Cuixu’s instructions:

The Sun Crow and Moon Hare, symbols of Yang and Yin, have both reached fullness, yet the root of precelestial Qi is difficult to gather. At the full moon, Yin and Yang are abundant and can be gathered and refined; when the Heavenly Hun and Earthly Po unite, a numinous Elixir takes shape. Here, “gathering” and “refining” are terms from Neidan, referring to grasping and harmonizing the Yin and Yang Qi within the body.

Essential Instructions on the Golden Elixir:

One Qi condenses and becomes five real substances; these five condense in turn into one wondrous substance. Obtain the true seed between Heaven and Earth, and generation after generation will flourish without end. The “seed” here refers to the root of true Qi in Neidan practice.

Huiguzi’s instructions:

Jing, spirit, Qi, and blood converge as the three essentials of cultivation, while the distinctions between south and north, east and west, also come together as one. As Heaven and Earth transform and operate, it is as though white snow were flying down; when Yin and Yang unite, Golden Blossoms appear, a wondrous image symbolizing the formation of the inner Elixir.

Wang Guozhai’s instructions:

Jing, spirit, Qi, and blood are close at hand and important, but cultivating the inner Elixir through these alone does not yet mean one has truly grasped the method. The key to alchemical cultivation is to obtain the essence of Qian and Kun. This essence is the generative force that arises when Kan and Li, representing Water and Fire and Yin and Yang, unite.

Chen Niniwan’s instructions:

Lead and Mercury are said to be the essential formula of the alchemical method, yet few in the world truly understand them. Cinnabar forms the substance, and white snow the covering. It is dimly present in your own home; you see it every day but do not recognize it. Lead, Mercury, Cinnabar, and white snow are all symbolic terms in Neidan, referring to the coordination of Yin and Yang, Jing, and Qi.

Li Qing’an’s instructions:

The principles of the precelestial Great Dao are subtle and inexhaustible. Lead arises in the West, Mercury in the East; the two pathways of Water and Fire lie above and below, while the opening of the Mysterious Gate, the crucial point where Yin and Yang meet in cultivation, lies at the center.

Wang Yangming’s instructions:

Watching the forms of the myriad things at ease, one can sense the force of life in them all. Quietly contemplating the transformations of the Way of Heaven, the mind enters a lofty and profound realm. Whether one’s circumstances are difficult or favorable, the Dao can bring ease wherever one is; when the heart no longer clings, one can move freely like fish and birds.

Shao Kangshu’s instructions

The place where the “Heavenly Mind”—the naturally clear and luminous mind-nature—returns is precisely mindlessness. When the mind reaches this state, there is nowhere to seek it. But if mindlessness means that nothing at all remains, how can gold still arise from water?

Li Qing’an’s oral instructions in the Zhonghe ji:

Refining Mercury and cooking Lead—terms in internal alchemy for refining and nurturing the Yin-Yang essences and Qi within the body and mind—have no fixed time. Those who study the Dao should experience them while entering meditative stillness. When external dust-thoughts seek to stain the inner mind, the mind is not stirred; when the Heavenly Gui, the bodily Qi associated with reproduction and essence, first begins to stir, the spirit naturally perceives it.

When nature and emotion are still, Gold returns to its original nature. As Jing and Qi gather, Kan Water, which symbolizes Yin and the water of the kidneys, can replenish Li Fire, which symbolizes Yang and the fire of the heart. When these two wondrous substances meet, Yin Qi is extinguished and Yang becomes pure and complete; then the Dao may be attained.

Li Daochun’s oral instructions in the Zhonghe ji:

It is easier to refine and nurture with Fire; the substances are not far away. When the Heavenly Gui stirs, it is like the tide rising in the sea. One must know how to gather and draw in the two substances, Mercury and Lead, while completely dispelling every kind of desire.

Turn the myriad things back toward the One and unite the Three Origins—Jing, Qi, and Shen. Refine away every kind of Yin Qi, so that the five Qi, those of the five viscera, come to pay court. After ten months of nurturing warmth, the alchemical work of casting off the womb is complete. The inner alchemical image of an infant appears, inspiring longing for the Divine Empyrean, the Daoist heavenly realm.

Chen Nan’s oral instructions:

The secret of seizing Heaven’s workings lies in gazing at the handle of the Northern Dipper at midnight. When that single drop of special sweet dew appears, whoever can set it in motion on the tip of a rice flower can gather it from there.

It is like a green lotus holding its flower’s heart, dripping into the Jade Pool, as though all sounds had fallen silent on an autumn day. A breeze just begins to rise; the bright moon shines upon a sandpiper.

Chen Nan’s oral instructions:

It is easier to refine and nurture with Fire; the substances are not far away. When the Heavenly Gui stirs, it is like the tide rising in the sea. One must know how to gather and draw in the two substances, Mercury and Lead, while completely dispelling every kind of desire.

Turn the myriad things back toward the One and unite the Three Origins; refine away every kind of Yin Qi, so that the five Qi come to pay court. After ten months of nurturing warmth, the alchemical work of casting off the womb is complete. The inner alchemical image of an infant appears, inspiring longing for the Divine Empyrean.

These are all oral teachings by various perfected beings on the meaning of “obtaining the substance.” Each uses different expressions so that practitioners may compare and confirm them with one another.

The method of gathering Fire and carrying Gold (Diagram of Gathering Fire and Carrying Gold)

At the beginning, the fire of the southern Li Palace (symbolizing the fire of the heart) is used to refine the metal within the northern water (symbolizing the essence and Qi within kidney water). This is called “casting red into black.” In this way, spirit and vitality are gathered, and the spirit and Qi enter the Kun navel—the area below the navel in the lower abdomen—thereby generating the medicine. Now, by contrast, the metal within the northern water is used to restrain the wood within the southern fire (symbolizing the spirit and Qi within the fire of the heart). This is called “seeing red through black.” In this way, spirit and vitality are gathered and made to circulate to the Qian summit at the crown of the head, where the Elixir is formed.

Thus, the Wuzhen pian says:

“Rely on the Kun position to generate the bodily form;

plant the seed at the place of union in the Qian position.”

The Ruyao jing says, “The medicine is produced in Kun and the seed is planted in Qian.” Qian is above and serves as the cauldron; Kun is below and serves as the furnace. Without vigorous cooking and repeated refinement, the medicine cannot be refined in the furnace. Without the methods of reverse circulation and turning back, the medicine cannot rise into the cauldron. Lead is heavy by nature and sinks; without fire, how could it rise? Mercury is buoyant by nature and tends to fly upward; without lead, how could it coagulate? For this reason, the method of gathering fire is crucial.

What is the method of gathering fire? It is the four-character formula “inhale, lick, contract, and close,” transmitted by the two patriarchs Bodhidharma and Haichan. “Inhale” means drawing in breath through the nose to guide in precelestial Qi. “Lick” means pressing the tongue against the upper palate to receive the sweet dew. “Contract” means tightening and lifting the valley pathway (the anus), causing the movement of Qi to rise, as though the radiance of the bright moon were ascending to the crown of the head. “Close” means sealing the mouth, lowering the eyelids, and gathering the hearing inward to listen within and illuminate inwardly. With time, the spirit water will descend into the Yellow Court, the central palace within the body where cultivation takes place.

Hu Cuihu said, “If the lower aperture is not closed, the fire cannot gather, and Metal Qi cannot rise. If the upper aperture is not closed, the medicine cannot condense, and the Golden Elixir cannot form.” Thus, gathering the fire must come before gathering and refining the medicine. A hazy, indistinct state marks the time to gather the medicine; fierce cooking and intensive tempering are the work of gathering it; inhaling, licking, pinching, and closing are the essentials of refinement.

The key to gathering the medicine lies in recognizing the right moment. It must not be too early: if it is, the medicinal Qi is still immature and easily rises and disperses. Nor must it be too late: if it is, the medicinal Qi grows old and stagnant. One must wait until “lead blossoms emit white, and the Mysterious Pearl takes shape”—signs in cultivation that the medicinal Qi has appeared and condensed into form. That is the time to gather it.

Zhang Ziyang said, “When lead Qi meets the first arising of Gui Water, it must be gathered at once. Once Metal Qi has passed its peak, it should no longer be gathered.”

Zhang Sanfeng said, “Seek the true seed in the flash of lightning during refinement; when the wind’s signal arrives, search for the source.”

“Refining amid flashes of lightning” refers to the moment when, after deep stillness and concentration, Yang Qi first stirs and true Qi begins to emerge in a hazy, indistinct state. At this moment, follow the methods of the Cantong qi (The Seal of the Unity of the Three) to close the gates and tightly shut the Great Mystery—the Mysterious Pass, a key site in cultivation. Close the Ren channel and open the Du channel. Then set the breath in motion, driving the Qi like a bellows; use Xun wind, the breath symbolized by wind, to fan it and refine it with fierce heat. As the fire grows strong, Water Qi boils. When it boils, turn the River Chariot, the Neidan method of guiding Qi along the body’s channels, carrying Metal Qi upward until it joins true mercury at the Muddy Pellet, a cultivation site inside the head. Once true mercury is subdued by lead Qi, it will not fly away. Gradually adjust and balance the process, allowing the substances to gather and coalesce: lead Qi diminishes day by day, while mercury Qi increases. In time, when lead Qi is exhausted, mercury Qi becomes pure of its own accord; when Yin Qi is extinguished, Yang Qi becomes unified. At this point, the great medicine of the Golden Elixir has been refined.

There is no other method for refining this great medicine. It consists solely in gathering a single point of precelestial Ancestral Qi (the original vital energy regarded as the source of life) and making it the foundation for forming the Golden Elixir. The master taught: “Refine and transform the Ancestral Qi of Great Brahma (the vast primordial Qi in Daoist thought); as it circulates, cause the postcelestial golden essence (the refined energy used in cultivation) to rise. Contemplate the wondrous image of Di Yi (a Daoist deity or revered divine image in internal cultivation), and return the Three Essences (a term for elements of internal cultivation such as essence, Qi, and spirit) to the Yellow Court (a site of cultivation within the body).” These are the most essential instructions in the formulas for cultivation.

Practitioners often know only that lead and mercury must unite to form the Elixir, but do not know that gathering, drawing out and replenishing, cooking, and regulating the firing times each have their own sequence and method. Gathering marks the beginning of cultivation; drawing out and replenishing bring it gradually to completion. The adjustments in between depend entirely on the firing times: that is, on gauging the advances and retreats, the pace, and the right moment in the process of internal cultivation.

Thus, Perfected Ziyang said:

“Even if you understand cinnabar and black lead, without understanding the firing times, all your efforts come to nothing.”

Zhu Xi said:

“If you do not study the Cantong qi, where else can you learn the work of regulating the firing times?”

Xue Daoguang said:

“The sages transmitted the medicines but not the firing times; since ancient times, few have understood them. Do not treat the Great Dao as child’s play. Investigate it carefully, as you would in seeking the way of the immortals.”

There are gentle and fierce modes of firing, and they cannot be treated as though they were all the same. When Yang Qi stirs during stillness and settled awareness, it is like refining metal from ore. Thunder moves below, and fire is applied to refine the true gold; this is the firing process described in the fourth section. Some say, “Simply tend the medicine furnace and observe the firing process. Settle the mind, regulate the breath, and let things unfold naturally.” This is the firing process described in the sixth section. The method of using gentle Yang and fierce Yin must be applied without error; advancing and retreating, drawing out and adding in, must all be properly mastered. This is the firing process described in the fifth section.

Preserving one’s nature and continually cultivating it is the Confucian firing process. An unbroken continuity, faintly present and almost imperceptible, is the Daoist firing process. Neither pressing forward diligently nor becoming lax is the Buddhist firing process. “For three months, never departing from benevolence” is Yan Hui’s firing process. “Examining myself many times each day” is Zengzi’s. “Each day learning what I did not know before, and each month not forgetting the skills I have mastered” is Xia’s. “Being watchful when unseen and wary when unheard” is Zisi’s. “Keep working at it in your heart, but do not insist on success; do not forget your effort, but do not force its growth” is Mencius’s. Confucius applied himself so ardently that he forgot to eat; this was fierce firing. He was so joyful that he forgot his worries; this was gentle firing. That he reached old age without noticing it shows that his sincerity was pure and uninterrupted, and his firing process had become fully refined. Once the firing process is fully refined, the Great Elixir can be perfected, and the work of cultivating sagehood is complete.

The Fifth Section’s Formula from the Essentials of Dual Cultivation of Nature and Life

The Union of Qian and Kun: Discard the Ore and Keep the Gold

(Diagram of the Union of Qian and Kun)

(With the formula for the Mao-You microcosmic orbit included)

Earlier, I spoke from the fundamental principle that encompasses both nature and life; this is the supreme method. Now I will speak from the point at which nature and life return to… (the following text is missing)

I previously explained that nature and life are governed within the body. This is the superior method, a higher level of cultivation. Now I will explain how nature and life return to their source. This is the supreme method, the highest level of cultivation.

Very few people have understood the principle that nature and life are governed within the body. Since Zhongli Quan and Lü Dongbin, even fewer people in the world have known it. Those who understand how nature and life return to their source are rarer still. These mysteries are so profound, and the principles of nature and life so subtle and deep, that students cannot grasp them without repeated explanation.

Before a person is born of their parents, their original state of body and mind is simply the Great Void, empty, still, and without form. Is this what is called the Non-Polar Origin, the undifferentiated source? Later, when the parents unite, a spark of spiritual light appears in life. Is this what is called the Supreme Ultimate, the source that arises from the Non-Polar Origin, before Yin and Yang have divided? This spark of spiritual light originally comes from the Supreme Ultimate: it is my original spirit, the innate spiritual ground present from the beginning. Only afterward does Qi arise and the body take shape, so that people know themselves only as having a body and breath. They nourish the body with fine clothes and food, and elevate themselves with fame, rank, and wealth. They take living and dying this way to be what life offers. Yet they neither recognize nor wish to recognize the nature endowed by Heaven that Zisi spoke of. Is it not precisely as Mencius said: people cannot help themselves, yet lose their original heart-mind?

If one can understand why this happens and turn back to seek the source, restoring one’s original Great Void and primordial Qi, along with that original spark of spiritual light, only the Great Way of the Golden Elixir, a cultivation method centered on refining nature and life within, can accomplish this.

The secret of the Great Way of the Golden Elixir lies in the two words “nature” and “life.” Nature belongs to Heaven and is often concealed within the crucible, the symbolic place where the internal elixir is cultivated; therefore, the crown of the head is the root of nature. Life belongs to the sea and is often concealed below the navel; therefore, the navel is the bond of life. When the scriptures say, “Nature is at the edge of Heaven; life is at the bottom of the sea,” this is what they mean.

The celestial aperture is round in shape and stores nature; it can also connect with the terrestrial aperture. When Qi in the celestial aperture flows freely, it moves from top to bottom. If it is nurtured naturally, without obstruction, it will receive nourishment. The terrestrial aperture is square in shape and stores life; it too can connect with the celestial aperture. When Qi in the terrestrial aperture flows freely, it moves from bottom to top. Likewise, if it is nurtured naturally, without obstruction, it will receive nourishment.

Confucius said, “The wise are characterized by movement, symbolizing the roundness of Heaven; the benevolent are characterized by stillness, symbolizing the square shape of Earth.” What does Heaven’s roundness symbolize? It symbolizes harmony and ceaseless circulation. The aperture of nature holds nature, which is the root of life. It can connect with the celestial aperture, so when Qi flows freely, it moves from bottom to top. If it is nurtured naturally, it will not be obstructed. What does Earth’s square shape symbolize? It symbolizes a small square space—the space within the heart. Life is rooted here; this is the source of nature.

Nature and life unite to form one; originally, they are not two separate things. This can manifest in Heaven or on Earth. It is vast and full, without fixed form or direction. The eyes use it to see, the ears to hear, the nose to discern scents, the mouth to speak, the hands to grasp, and the feet to walk. Those who awaken know this as Buddha-nature; those who are deluded call it the spirit-soul.

What is called Buddha-nature is one’s original nature. And what is called original nature—could it not be the true nature that everyone possesses from the beginning? True nature is the nature bestowed by Heaven. Because it favors neither side, it is called the “Mean.” Those who are deluded, however, call it the spirit-soul.

The “original nature” spoken of here is a person’s innate nature, the true nature they possess from the beginning. This true nature is bestowed by Heaven. It has no boundaries, so it is called “the Center”; it is always real and never false, so it is called “Sincerity”; it is one with all things, so it is called “benevolence”; and it is supremely noble, with nothing that can rival it, so it is called “the Unique.” Originally, it is a whole, neither more nor less.

After the Taiji (Supreme Ultimate) differentiates, the two modes of Heaven and Earth begin to take shape: light, clear Qi rises, while heavy, turbid Qi gathers and sinks. Thus, the Kan Palace, which symbolizes water and the Yin side, contains “lead,” while the Li Palace, which symbolizes fire and the Yang side, contains “mercury.” What was originally a whole is thereby divided into two poles. Once you understand these two, you can recognize the two terms used in the alchemical scriptures.

The alchemical scriptures do not disclose these two terms directly. Instead, they refer to them through many metaphors, using more names than can be counted. For the “nature” symbolized by the crown of the head, they use names such as mercury, dragon, fire, root, sun, Hun, Li, Qian, Ji, Heaven, ruler, emptiness, hare, nonbeing, host, floating, cinnabar, Fusang, young maiden, and Kunlun. For the “life” symbolized by the navel, they use names such as lead, tiger, water, stem, moon, Po, Kan, Kun, Wu, Earth, minister, fullness, crow, being, guest, sinking, quicksilver, Huayue, infant, and Qujiang. All the various expressions—such as Yang contained within Yin and Yin hidden within Yang—are ultimately different metaphors for these two.

The Yuanhuang Jue says: “Lead and mercury dwell in the cauldron, where they are refined into a priceless pearl. In the end, there are only two words, ‘lead’ and ‘mercury’; with these, one can understand the alchemical scriptures of a thousand schools.”

Zhongli Weng says: “Apart from the two ingredients, mercury and lead, all the other expressions are used to deceive the foolish and deluded.”

What Gao Xiangxian discusses, too, amounts only to using metaphors to explain the names of these two.

The Yuanhuang Jue says, “Place lead and mercury in the cauldron; once refined, they become a priceless treasure. In the end, all you need is to understand the two words ‘lead and mercury’ to grasp the essentials of many texts.”

Zhongli Weng says, “Apart from lead and mercury, the two medicinal substances, all other explanations are meant to deceive and confuse the ignorant.”

Gao Xiangxian says, “In a dream, I paid a visit to the Perfected One of Western Florescence. I ascended to the Nine Heavens, where the Perfected One taught me the Zhi Xuan Pian. Its principles are plain and contain little complexity: it simply teaches people to refine lead and mercury.”

Ma Danyang says, “Lead and mercury are water and fire; water and fire are the Dragon and Tiger; the Dragon and Tiger are spirit and Qi; spirit and Qi are nature and life.”

Taken together, these statements all speak of the two words “lead and mercury,” and ultimately those words point to the same principle. Those who cultivate blindly divide them into two things, while true cultivators unite them as one. To unite them is to refine Qi—the term in Daoist Neidan for the vital energy of life—to gather the intent of Shen; to fully realize one’s nature and thereby cultivate nature and life; to cook lead and smelt mercury, drawing the essence of the Kan trigram to fill the emptiness of the Li trigram.

The numinous substance within the Li trigram is called the “flowing pearl.” When Shen dwells within it, it becomes restless and unsettled; when Jing dwells within it, it is difficult to make it substantial and keep it in place. Thus Ge Xianweng composed the “Song of the Flowing Pearl,” lamenting how difficult it is to control and how easily it is lost. Wei Boyang says, “The flowing pearl of the sun is always trying to leave its companion; once it obtains golden florescence, the two can depend on one another.” He also says, “The Maiden of the River is wondrous and numinous; to subdue her, one must establish yellow sprout as the foundation.” Here, “golden florescence” and “yellow sprout” both refer to true lead, the essence of Great Yin. “Flowing pearl” and “Maiden” both refer to numinous mercury, the Qi of Great Yang.

Numinous mercury is especially fierce: at the first touch of fire, it flies away without a trace. Without true lead, what could possibly subdue it? Thus Ziyang says, “The key is to subdue it; you must find the Golden Duke.” The Golden Duke is another name for lead. Lead comes from Crooked River, passes through the spinal passage, and reaches Jade Capital. It travels upward along the meridians until it reaches the Mudball Palace. Though this is called “drawing out lead to replenish mercury,” what it actually describes is gathering the essence and Qi back in to nourish the brain.

The Cui Xu Pian says:

In heaven there are seven stars, on earth there are seven kinds of treasure, and the human body has seven apertures—the two eyes, two ears, two nostrils, and mouth. Their master is the brain.

Jing and Qi flow through the Jade Capital, here referring to the chamber of the spirits within the brain. They set the Qi mechanism in motion and guide it along its course straight up to the Muddy Pellet (Niwang), the Daoist name for a part of the brain. Although this is called “drawing out lead and adding mercury,” an alchemical expression that uses lead and mercury as metaphors for refining Yin-Yang essence and Qi, it is in fact the gathering and nurturing of essence and Qi to replenish the brain.

The Cui Xu Pian says:

In heaven there are seven stars, on earth there are seven kinds of treasure, and the human body has seven apertures; their master is the brain.

The Taigu Ji says:

When the Golden Elixir is conveyed to the Muddy Pellet acupoint, first record your name in the Jade Capital, the heavenly palace in Daoist tradition.

The Fabao Yizhu says:

Only after recognizing your original true nature do you understand that the roots of life and death are bound up with the Muddy Pellet.

The Huangting Jing says:

Within the Muddy Pellet, every joint has its own spirit.

It also says:

The brain spirit is named Jinggen, with the courtesy name Muddy Pellet.

It further says:

The deities of the face take the Muddy Pellet as their master. Within the Muddy Pellet are nine true spirits, each dwelling in its own chamber. This place is about one inch across. If you concentrate your mind on contemplating the spirits within it, you may attain long life.

The phrase “about one inch across” refers to the place at the crown of the head where Shakyamuni received his prediction of Buddhahood. This is the most mysterious within the mysterious, the heaven within heaven. It is called Yuluo Xiaotai, the Upper Capital on Jade Mountain. It is the jade chamber of Jing and blood within the brain, the jade room of the essences of the hun and po souls, the dwelling where the myriad spirits entrust their lives, and the source where bodily fluids gather.

This place lies between the acupoints that connect the two ears. In front is the Hall of Brightness, behind it the Jade Pillow; above it is the Canopy, below it the Crimson Palace. It is situated within the Great Abyss of the Northern Pole and is the palace where the True One Primordial Spirit resides.

In ancient times, the Yellow Emperor ascended Mount Emei and met the Celestial Perfected One in the Jade Hall. He asked him about the “Way of the True One.” The Celestial Perfected One said, “This is the truly essential Way of the Daoists. Its scripture is secretly kept by the Lord on the Five Cities of Kunlun, which is precisely the palace where the True One Primordial Spirit resides.”

Long ago, the Yellow Emperor climbed Mount Emei and met the Heavenly Perfected One (a perfected immortal who had attained the Dao). He asked him about the “Way of True Oneness,” the practice of guarding and realizing the fundamental One. The Perfected One said, “This is the most treasured of Daoist classics. The Lord on High keeps it hidden in the Five Cities of Kunlun, stored in a jade casket, inscribed on golden tablets, sealed with purple clay, and stamped with the central seal. I have heard in subtle texts that True Oneness lies within the Great Abyss at the North Pole. Before it is the Hall of Light; behind it, the Jade Pillow. Above it is the Flower Canopy, and below it, the Crimson Palace. The canopy rises high, and the Golden Tower arches overhead like a vault. The Dipper stars are to the left, the Kui stars to the right; surging waters churn, and its presence soars into the sky. Purple mushrooms cover the cliffs, and vermilion plants appear in the distance. White jade rises high, while the light of the sun and moon shines down. It passes through the refining fire and the perils of crossing water, travels through the hidden and mysterious realm, and crosses a land like the Yellow Springs. The gates of the city crisscross, and splendid curtains fill its halls. Mighty dragons and tigers stand guard, with divine beings nearby to protect it.

“Do not give recklessly, or force others to give to you; remain settled in your own place. Act without haste or delay, and rest secure in your own abode. If you can remain calm and prepared, True Oneness will not leave you. Guard True Oneness and nurture your original nature, and it can commune with the spirits. Lessen your desires and moderate your food, and True Oneness can preserve your vital essence and Qi. Even with a sharp blade at your throat, keeping True Oneness in mind can bring you a chance to live. It is not difficult to know True Oneness; what is difficult is holding to it without faltering. Guard it and do not lose it, and you can endure without end. This is the general outline of the Secret Teaching of True Oneness.

“Thus the Dao De Jing says: Heaven attains the One and becomes clear; Earth attains the One and becomes settled; spirits attain the One and become numinous; valleys attain the One and become full; the myriad things attain the One and grow; and rulers attain the One and can govern the world. Hold to it throughout, without losing it, and you can endure without end. This is the general outline of the Secret Teaching of True Oneness.

“It also says: ‘The spirit can foresee what is to come, and wisdom can preserve what has passed.’ And: ‘One who is vast and can transform and nurture the myriad things is called a sage; one whose sage-like clarity is unfathomable is called divine.’ The One divides into Two, the root of Yin-Yang; into Five, the pivot of the Five Phases; and then into Eight. Eight multiplied by eight gives sixty-four, forming the numbers of the Yellow River Chart. Dividing further into Nine, nine multiplied by nine gives eighty-one, forming the numbers of the Luo River Writing. When it disperses further into the myriad things, it becomes the guiding principle by which they continually grow and transform.”

Fuxi and King Wen understood the One—the common underlying principle or source of all things—and thus the Zhou Changes (Zhouyi) came into being. Yu the Great and Jizi understood the One and established the nine categories of the Great Plan (Hongfan). Zhou Dunyi understood the One and composed the Diagram of the Supreme Ultimate (Taijitu). Shao Yong understood the One and wrote the Classic of the Supreme Ultimate Governing the World (Huangji Jingshi). Laozi understood the One and thereby understood all things. Shakyamuni understood the One and brought all Buddhist teachings back to their root. “Returning to the root” means returning to this source; “returning to one’s mandate” means returning to this source.

The Scripture of the Western Ascension (Xisheng Jing) says: “If a person can hold fast to the One, the One will also protect that person. Devote your mind to keeping watch over the One: even if you feel hungry, the One will provide you with food; even if you feel thirsty, the One will give you drink.”

The Spiritual Pivot Scripture (Lingshu Jing) says: “The original spirit in the Celestial Valley, if guarded, allows one to preserve one’s true nature.”

It also says: “If you wish to live long, you should understand the essential method of embracing the One.”

And it says: “Embrace and guard the One, protect your true nature, and spiritual clarity will naturally reach wondrous depths.”

If a person can hold the original spirit in its proper palace—the place within the body where it is stored—and keep the mind devoted to the One, true Qi (the primordial energy) will naturally rise, true breath (the inner breath) will naturally settle, true Jing (essence) will naturally gather, wondrous vitality will naturally grow, the Celestial Gate (the aperture at the crown of the head) will naturally open, and the original spirit will naturally appear. Once the aperture at the crown opens, the other apertures will open in turn. Once the original spirit is settled, the other spirits will all obey its direction. If the original spirit resides securely in the aperture and does not scatter, how could a person die? This is the meaning of the Yellow Court Scripture’s (Huangting Jing) words: “If you wish not to die, you must cultivate Kunlun”—Kunlun here refers to the head or crown of the head.

Thus Qiu Chuji said:

“Keep watch over Kunlun for a long time, and hold fast to the true One. Continue until the Mani jewel (the wish-fulfilling jewel, a metaphor for inner spirituality) is full and radiant. From the clear, empty, vast, boundless realm of the Tuoluo Gate (a pure and expansive state), all Buddhas and thousands of immortals emerge.”

The Treatise on Returning to the Origin (Huanyuan Pian) says:

“After realizing the Great Dao, the mind becomes clear and open. Sit at ease, and set the Celestial Pass (the point through which the body’s and mind’s Qi is set in motion during cultivation) in motion.”

The passages above explain the fundamental practice of cultivation.

This is the most fundamental work in cultivation, the key to entering the path, and a wondrous method for opening the Heavenly Pass and transcending life and death. Heaven has kept this Daoist method secret. Since ancient times, neither immortals nor Buddhist practitioners have dared to speak of it openly. It is said that among a thousand or even ten thousand people, only one or two can know it. How mysterious it is! Many oral instructions cannot be fully described.

Again and again, practitioners are cautioned: when “True Lead,” an important Neidan term for a symbolic essence or medicinal substance, enters the cauldron, they must clear away distracting thoughts, summon their spirit, focus on the crown of the head, and keep their intention from scattering. In an instant, the Dragon and Tiger contend—a metaphor for the meeting of Yin and Yang Qi—and the workings of transformation change with great speed, as if thunder and lightning shook heaven and earth. The channels throughout the body tremble in response; the nine palaces, inner sites in Neidan practice, become connected; and golden essence rises to the crown of the head like surging waves of silver.

Ziyang, the Daoist Neidan master Zhang Boduan, said: “Black turns to red, and clouds grow dense within the cauldron. Before long, the ‘soup’ in the Jade Cauldron gradually warms, and the fire in the Golden Furnace spreads. Yellow sprouts cover the ground, while white snow fills the sky.” In cultivation, Yin and Yang respond to one another like husband and wife keeping each other company, or like a dragon’s cry and a tiger’s roar. Yin and Yang cling to one another, and Lead essence and Mercury marrow, symbolic substances that work together in Neidan practice, congeal into a pearl.

Yuchan, the Daoist Neidan master Bai Yuchan, said: “After a long separation, husband and wife meet again, and naturally their affection draws them to one another. At this moment the Mysterious Pearl takes shape, like gold purified from ore by removing its impurities. A drop of Golden Liquid, a symbolic essence in Neidan practice, then falls back to its original place in the Yellow Court, an inner site in the body used in Neidan practice.”

At this time, body and mind feel warm and harmonious, like mountain clouds rising into the sky; like fine, nourishing rain falling across the fields; like spring rain filling a lake; or like a river about to thaw. The hundred channels flow freely and harmoniously, extending through the limbs and the whole body. One may truly say the heart is filled with spring. When these signs appear, immediately practice the Mao-You circuit, a method in Neidan practice for circulating Qi according to the Mao and You directions. Advance the Yang Fire and withdraw the Yin Talisman, the stages of cultivation that regulate Yang and Yin Qi, bringing the eastern and western directions together and blending the Qi of north and south. In this way, the Four Images and Five Phases—the patterns of Yin-Yang change and the interaction of the five basic elements—gather in the cauldron. Blend the numinous Qi in the Celestial Valley, an inner site in the head used in Neidan practice, and regulate the five Qi in the Niwan, another such site in the head.

Gao Xiangxian said:

The Mysterious Pearl flies to Mount Kunlun. To seek it, one must rely on “Wuxiang,” an elusive image that seems both present and absent.

The “Hedong Song” says:

Two key substances gather the Five Phases (the Qi of the Five Phases) in a single furnace and cauldron. They blend spiritual Qi within the Heavenly Valley, the inner space of the head, and harmonize the five Qi in the Muddy Pellet, the Neidan practice site at the crown of the head.

Gao Xiangxian says:

The Mysterious Pearl flies above Kunlun, the head. If you wish to find it, you must rely on “formless perception”: sensing through emptiness and stillness, without clinging to outward traces.

The Hedong Song says:

Gather the two substances in one furnace, and a pool of spirit water condenses into true cream, the essence that symbolizes the formation of the Neidan.

The Treatise on Pointing to the Mysterious says:

To understand how the paths of east and west converge, the key is to harmonize the central Qi so that the upper and lower Dantian, the places where Qi gathers in internal cultivation, are connected.

Chen Niniwan says:

Once the White Tiger, a Neidan term often symbolizing Jing-Qi or Metal Qi, meets its counterpart, how could the Flowing Pearl, a Neidan term often referring to nimble Elixir Qi, fail to follow?

Perfected Duan says:

Where the Four Symbols, signs of four Yin-Yang transformations, gather with the Qi of the Five Phases, the Qi of Qian and Kun, Heaven and Earth, and of the sun and moon, Yin and Yang, naturally converges.

The Collected Teachings on Gradual Awakening says:

When the flames kindle as the Elixir is refined, the waters of the Yellow River, symbolizing the movement of Qi within the body, flow upstream.

The Pure Song says:

Before the Zi-Wu furnace, symbolizing the meeting of Yin and Yang within the body, discern the Qi’s advance and retreat. In the Qian-Kun cauldron, arrange Yin and Yang as they rise, descend, float, and sink.

The Collection of Esoteric Teachings says:

Metal Qi melts the nature of Wood, and the two unite. Once black mercury and lead have congealed, they naturally respond to and permeate one another.

Perfected Yunfang says:

Turn the Dipper’s handle and master the Mysterious Pass, the key point through which Qi enters and exits in Neidan practice. Turn the Celestial Gate, and all things will permeate one another. In an instant, after Dragon and Tiger, symbols of the two Yin-Yang Qi, have fought again and again, the two substances unite.

The Treatise on Pointing to the Mysterious says:

When Qi rushes back to the Sea of Qi, the site of the lower Dantian, it is called the Vermilion Steed. When it flies into the Muddy Pellet, it is called the White Crow. Last night, after Tiger and Dragon had fought, a faint crescent appeared in the snow.

The Treatise on Pointing to the Mysterious says:

When Qi rushes back to the Sea of Qi, the site of the lower Dantian, it is called the Vermilion Steed. When it flies into the Muddy Pellet, it is called the White Crow. Last night, after Tiger and Dragon had fought, a faint crescent appeared in the snow.

The Poem for Clear-Sighted Eyes says:

Wood Qi and Metal Qi lie apart, in the east and west. Clouds rise and Dragons roar; Tigers howl and winds stir. The two Qi are still and formless, yet turn the movement of Qi between Heaven and Earth. Fortunately, through Wu and Ji, symbols of Earth Qi, Yin and Yang are brought together, and the Qi of female and male unite.

Chen Niniwan says:

At the Zi hour, around midnight, Qi reaches the Tail Gate, the aperture at the base of the spine. It travels upward along the spine, passing through Hedong and piercing Zeng Mountain, both Neidan terms for points along the Qi’s route. A crystal-like substance enters the furnace, while the Red Dragon, symbolizing Yang Qi, carries mercury Qi upward to the Muddy Pellet.

The Cui Xu Treatise says:

When one is drunk, lying in deep sleep, and sunk in dreams, a boat laden with treasures sails into Caoxi, a Buddhist place-name used here to symbolize a state of cultivation. Once the foundation of the Elixir method is fully understood, whatever is released or gathered in the end is always that same thing.

An ancient immortal’s song says:

Mercury (quicksilver, a term commonly used in Daoist internal alchemy to refer to the mind-spirit or to a substance used in cultivation) is a wondrous elixir, yet it is very difficult to circulate it downward from above and bring it under control. If it can be made to travel along the “Eastern River” route and refined into purple powder, then once the powdered frost is expelled, it can be transformed into the Golden Elixir.

The Collection of Profound Mysteries says:

Move the Northern Dipper past the Southern Stars, with both hands as though supporting the wheels of the sun and moon. Ascend in flight to Mount Kunlun, a common Daoist symbol for the upper body or crown of the head; in an instant, you will transform into clouds filling the sky.

Yin Changsheng says:

When, in the deep of night, the dragon roars and the tiger bellows—an image in internal alchemy for the arousal and interaction of Yin-Yang Qi—quickly harness the Qi of the “Eastern River,” without the slightest pause. Send Jing and Qi soaring to the summit of Mount Kunlun, then use the method of advancing the Fire to refine them in the Jade Furnace until they are as white as snow.

Zhang Yuanhua says:

Go upstream against the current all the way to Penglai, the name of an immortal mountain that here symbolizes the realm reached through cultivation. Then scatter Jing and Qi across the Sweet Spring, nourishing the Nine Regions, a term for the broad expanse of heaven and earth. From then on, the Dantian will be nourished and moistened, and the Yellow Sprouts, symbols in internal alchemy of nascent true Qi or the first shoots of the elixir, will spring up everywhere.

The Song on the Origin of the Dao says:

Circulate the Qi mechanism in the Dantian, making it move up and down. Understand, too, that the human body is one whole, with the Qi mechanisms of east and west joining together. Pointing with a smile toward Kun Mountain—another name for Kunlun, often a symbol for the head—you will see a clear passage between the shoulder blades.

The Collection of Profound Mysteries says:

Ascend Kunlun alone and gaze up at the lofty sky, where the images of the dragon roaring and the tiger bellowing are unmistakable. At the Jade Pool, where saliva gathers in the mouth, the essence of Yin-Yang is always dripping down; precious metal and silk, here referring to the refined substance produced through cultivation, are often used to refine the essence of the sun and moon.

The Pearls and Jades of the Immortals says:

Once a thread of elixir Yang Qi is stirred, turn it toward another place and set it in motion. Seek the blood-red Yang Qi in the Kan position, which in the Bagua symbolizes Water and Yang hidden within Yin. Guide it to the Li position, which symbolizes Fire and Yin hidden within Yang, restrain its Yin essence, and then harmonize and combine them at the proper time.

The Collection of the Golden Elixir says:

Send the Qi of the “Eastern River” to Kun Mountain. Without moving the slightest bit, you will reach the Jade Pass, an opening through which Qi is said to pass in internal alchemy. The key lies in firmly closing the Eight Gates, referring to the body’s openings or the places where Qi enters and leaves, so that Yin-Yang Qi circulates naturally.

The Song of No-One says:

At this stage of cultivation, even “the One” must be forgotten; only then can you enter into transformation alongside the Primordial Changes, the creative workings of nature and heaven and earth. If you cling to holding on to this “One” and cannot forget it, you will be like a foolish cat guarding an empty hole.

Bai Yuchan says:

Refine Shen with the mercury-heart, which belongs to spirit, and respond with the nature of the Red Dragon, a common symbol for heart-fire or Yang Qi. With the lead-body, which belongs to form and Qi, gather the breath and respond with the life of the White Tiger, a common symbol for Lung-Metal or Yin Qi. When not a trace of Yin stagnation remains inside or out, all things shine brightly, as though reflected in a Jade-Clear Mirror.

The Collected Works of Chunyang says:

Take the root of creation and transformation from heaven and earth; Yin-Yang is the source of cultivation. The celestial soul gives birth to the White Tiger, and the earthly spirit produces the Azure Dragon.

During cultivation, guide Jing and Qi to the Niwan Palace—the upper Dantian at the crown of the head—and let them settle there. Then draw Jing and Qi into the upper palace. Those who understand this method will retain the appearance of a child even after ten thousand years.

Bao Yizi says in Illustrations of the Manifestation of the Dao:

Cultivating the Great Dao is not difficult in itself; the key is to enter stillness and apply oneself. Yin and Yang Qi continually rise and descend between above and below, while the Qi of Metal and Water circulates and naturally returns to its proper place.

The Azure Dragon and White Tiger in the Purple Mansion—the immortal dwelling in Daoist tradition—join, while the earth’s axis and Heaven’s Gate in the Mysterious Palace come together. After the clouds and rain disperse, the spirit embryo takes shape. For a spirit embryo to be conceived within a man is no ordinary matter.

Collected Mysterious Teachings says:

To recognize the true Mysterious Pass, the pivotal movement of Qi in internal alchemy, children laugh and point toward the highest peak.

The highest peak is both beautiful and wondrous; amid the mist on the far shore, purple fungi emerge.

This is the medicine of long life, yet countless cultivators do not know it.

Xu Xuanping says in Song of the Mysterious Pearl:

The sun in Heaven seems to move beneath the earth; the moon at the bottom of the sea seems to fly up to Heaven. Heaven, earth, sun, and moon do not move of their own accord. It is the handle of the Northern Dipper turning that sets the movement of Qi in motion.

If the human heart can accord with the heart of Heaven, Yin and Yang can reverse their course in an instant. After the Dragon and Tiger have done battle, the upper, middle, and lower Dantian all become still. Then pick up the Mysterious Pearl—the Jing and Qi gathered through internal alchemy—and plant it in the Dantian.

Songs of Pearls and Jades from the Immortals says:

Lead thinks of Mercury, and Mercury thinks of Lead; together they seize the power that governs Heaven and Earth’s transformations. In the end, nature and life come down to two words, yet they are hidden throughout thousands of alchemical scriptures.

The Mao-You Circuit Formula (Diagram of the Celestial Pivot)

The preceding section discusses the union of Qian and Kun, which gathers the external medicine; this section discusses the Mao-You celestial circuit, which gathers the internal medicine. The so-called external union means that Qi rises along the back and descends along the front, rising and falling in turn. The internal union means that Qi revolves left and right, rising and sinking in turn. The two circulate continuously, taking a form like the Xuanji, an ancient instrument that rotated to observe the heavens.

Thus Wei Boyang says, “Following the course of the Northern Dipper, the movement of Qi rises and falls, circulating through the six lines. Its changes are subtle and hidden, and difficult to discern.” People in the world know only that Qian and Kun unite—that Yin and Yang interact—but do not understand the principle of Mao and You, the cyclical movement of the heavens marked by the hours associated with the east and west. This is like having a cart without wheels, or a boat without a rudder: how could one travel a long distance?

The Treatise on Returning to the Origin says, “The Jade Rabbit, the Moon that symbolizes Yin, and the Golden Crow, the Sun that symbolizes Yang, turn back and forth in a cycle. The Dao is within the human body, yet people often lose their way. Everyone knows how to harmonize water and fire—to harmonize Yin and Yang—but in the end, how many truly understand the changes of the eastern and western directions?” Here, “east” refers to the nature of Water, and “west” to the disposition of Metal. One source divides into two aspects, residing in the east and west. Now one grasps the pivot of the Dipper’s handle—the Northern Dipper’s handle, symbolizing the mechanism that moves Qi—and turns it so that Wood’s nature draws near to Metal’s disposition, and Metal’s disposition becomes attached to Wood’s nature. When the two unite, Metal and Wood come together. Only through their union can the work of harmonizing water and fire be made complete. This is what the alchemical texts mean by “harmonizing the four symbols,” bringing into accord the four forces that represent Yin-Yang and the Five Phases.

Zhang Quanyi’s Secrets of Lead and Fire says:

“The Great Medicine—the Jing and Qi spoken of in Neidan practice—comes into being at a set time, at the end of the Hai hour and the beginning of the Zi hour, around midnight. When spirit and vitality meet, a radiance appears. In a hazy, indistinct state, it seems as though the bright Moon has been born.

“After they unite, the movement of Qi flows downward, like water bubbles welling up. When Yang Qi first arises, do not let it escape. Quickly gather it within the Tai Xuan Gate, an aperture that in cultivation symbolizes the sealing and gathering of Qi, and use the firing times to propel the medicinal Qi through the Tail-Ridge point, an aperture at the base of the spine.

“When gathering the medicine, keep your intention and gaze fixed on the Muddy Pellet, which symbolizes the upper Dantian in the head. Then guide Qi downward, to the left, and upward, and still the mind in focused awareness. This is called ‘contemplating the pattern as the brain rises into the Mysterious.’ Next, let it descend from the right, then lift it and turn it at the bend.

“After passing through the count of six times six, the medicinal Qi forms in the Qian position, which symbolizes Yang. When Yang Qi reaches its height, Yin Qi begins to arise, and the movement of Qi turns toward the right. At this point, open the aperture and adjust the firing times so that the medicinal Qi passes through the Tail-Ridge point.

“When gathering the medicine, keep your intention and gaze fixed on the Muddy Pellet, guide Qi downward, to the left, and upward, and still the mind in focused awareness. This is called ‘contemplating the pattern as the brain rises into the Mysterious.’ Then let it descend from the right, lift it, and turn it at the bend.

“After passing through the count of six times six, the medicinal Qi forms in the Qian position. When Yang Qi reaches its height, Yin Qi begins to arise, and the movement of Qi travels to the right. At this time, open the aperture and draw back the firing times. Direct your gaze downward and keep watch over the Kun Field, which symbolizes the lower Dantian and Yin.

“The movement of Qi travels up and to the right, then down and to the left, and finally settles. Completing the count of three times eight makes one circuit of the heavens. This is the natural, true firing process: Qi rises and falls of itself, and the gathering and refining naturally wax and wane.”

This method uses no lunar imagery such as the waxing crescent, the full moon, the dark moon, or the new moon, nor does it use expressions such as bathing or lengthy practice. All the varied metaphors should be discarded. Only these two sentences are the genuine formula.

Practice this method only after Heaven and Earth have joined in union, symbolizing the union of Yin and Yang. This ensures that the Golden Elixir, the substance formed by the gathering of essence and Qi in internal alchemy, does not dissipate. First, use a ritual implement to press against the Great Mystery Pass, a portal in cultivation. Then, using Qi circulation guided by intention, direct the gaze downward to the Navel of Kun, a symbolic location of the lower Dantian (energy center). After a while, slowly direct it upward along the left side to the Summit of Qian. Pause briefly, then descend along the right side to the Navel of Kun. This counts as one cycle. Next, rise again from the Navel of Kun to the Summit of Qian, then descend from the Summit of Qian to the Navel of Kun. Repeat this thirty-six times; this is called advancing the Yang fire. Once the thirty-six cycles are complete, close the portal to withdraw the fire. Continue directing the gaze downward to the Navel of Kun, then ascend along the right side to the Summit of Qian and descend along the left side to the Navel of Kun. This counts as one cycle. Repeat this twenty-four times; this is called withdrawing the Yin tally. The method ends after the twenty-four cycles are complete.

Thus Zhang Ziyang says:

The handle of the Big Dipper points toward the four directions, marking the seasons; the eight solar terms of the year also change in accordance with it. In fact, the Big Dipper itself remains still. What changes is the direction indicated by the stars, such as the Ladle and the Handle.

Simply keep the eyes bright and send the intention up and down. This must be practiced in stillness; do not circulate the breath amid busyness and confusion.

Why use the brightness of the eyes? Because the eyes are a Yang aperture. The whole body belongs to Yin, and only this trace of Yang manifests in the eyes. Repeatedly circulate this Yang from below upward and from left to right, and Yang will increase while Yin recedes.

The Book of Changes says, “The dragon battles in the wild; its blood is dark yellow.” This method can also make true Qi circulate up and down like a river in the heavens. The eyes therefore play a major role in cultivation.

When a fetus first begins to form, according to the theory of the Five Phases generating one another, Heaven, the One, generates Water: first the dark irises and pupils take shape, corresponding to the kidneys. Earth, the Two, generates Fire: the two eyes take shape, corresponding to the heart. Heaven, the Three, generates Wood: the irises take shape, corresponding to the liver. Earth, the Four, generates Metal: the whites of the eyes take shape, corresponding to the lungs. Heaven, the Five, generates Earth: the upper and lower eyelids take shape, corresponding to the spleen. From this, we can see that the essences of the Five Zang organs are all manifested in the eyes.

After my teacher pointed out the essentials of cultivation, I observed women who had miscarried, foals lost in the womb, and unhatched eggs. I found that in each case the two eyes formed first, before the internal organs had taken shape. Only then did I understand that the eyes are where innate spiritual clarity resides, and where the Original Spirit—the person’s primordial spirit—dwells and roams.

The Book of Supreme Ultimate World Order says, “The spirit of Heaven dwells in the sun; the spirit in the human body is manifested in the eyes.” The fact that the spirit in the human body is manifested in the eyes is truly significant. At birth, this spiritually clear thing comes into being before Heaven and Earth; at death, it vanishes after Heaven and Earth. Here the Five Phases—Water, Fire, Wood, Metal, and Earth—come together; here the spiritual energies of the Five Zang organs—the liver, heart, spleen, lungs, and kidneys—converge. The essences of the seven vital substances—saliva, nasal mucus, semen, bodily fluids, Qi, blood, and other fluids—also gather here. In its vastness, it can contain Heaven and Earth; in its minuteness, not even the smallest fraction can contain it. Is this not the most precious thing within us?

The Secret Instructions for Penetrating the Mystery from Within say:

“Concealing and nurturing the numinous light is the growth of the immortal medicine. Casting off the womb and transforming the bones to cultivate a golden body is the work of a superior immortal.”

Shangyangzi says:

“The subtle, mysterious instructions are few. They are right before our eyes, but people pay them no heed.”

The Treatise on Upholding Orthodoxy says:

“Only when it is ceaselessly conveyed and circulated day and night does its efficacy appear. Subtle activation and transformation are like mastering the Jade Pivot, the instrument for observing the heavens and, by extension, the movement of the celestial bodies.”

The Song on the Firing Times says:

“To enter deeply into the realm of mystery, one must carefully guard one’s thoughts in solitude. The key to this careful discipline lies in the eyes.”

Chen Nining says:

“True Yin and true Yang are the Way to be cultivated. They are right before our eyes, not far away or difficult to find.”

Xue Daoguang says:

“It is plainly right before us, in the eyes, yet people of the world cannot see the celestial mechanism for themselves.”

Liu Haichan says:

Qi (vital energy) moves up and down along the channels through the center of the body, circulating again and again, turning left and returning right in coordination with the key points that serve as pivots.

Wang Zizhen says:

Last night, the Maiden (the Yin aspect of vital energy in Neidan cultivation) opened the wondrous portal, and I glimpsed the immortals meeting in Purple Tenuity (the celestial region symbolizing the center of heaven). The Northern Dipper and Southern Dipper stood before and behind; the two wheels of the sun and moon revolved back and forth.

Xiao Zixu says:

Keep watch over it constantly, like a dragon guarding a precious pearl, and turn left and return right like a hen brooding over her eggs, in coordination with the key points.

Wang Zizhen says:

Last night, the Maiden opened the wondrous portal, and I glimpsed the immortals meeting in Purple Tenuity. The Northern Dipper and Southern Dipper stood before and behind; the two wheels of the sun and moon revolved back and forth.

Xiao Zixu says:

Keep watch over it constantly, like a dragon guarding a precious pearl, and shelter it continually like a hen brooding over her eggs. The Golden Liquid Elixir (a Neidan term for an elixir formed by refining vital essence and energy) is right before us, yet many are bewildered and few understand.

Chen Cuixu says:

It is neither lamplight nor the radiance of the sun, moon, and stars. When the medicine begins to stir, an extraordinary light appears of its own accord. Lower your eyelids and gaze steadily at the place of brightness; a true, upright, and luminous essence will appear.

The Cuixu Pian says:

Do not imagine that cultivating the Golden Elixir is easy. You must apply yourself diligently and study it again and again. Discuss it sincerely with teachers and fellow practitioners. It is nowhere else; it is right before you.

The Xuankun Ji says:

The Daoist known as the Green Ox departed many years ago, yet this principle is plainly before us. To know the reality of what lies before you, look: a chamber, cool and still, bathed in bright moonlight.

Chen Nituan says:

The Great Dao is plainly before us, yet people of the world do not understand it, and in the end they die in vain. The Yellow Sprout (a Neidan term symbolizing vital energy in its early growth) is the Qi of Heaven and Earth. Spirit Water is its foundation, joined to Mercury (a Neidan term often used to symbolize vital energy that transforms and flows).

The Xuanxue Tongzong says:

After several pulses of rising and lifting, it reaches Kunlun (a symbolic name for the head). Turn the Pivot of Jade (a symbol of the mechanism governing the movement of Qi within the body), bringing the transformations of creation into view. Qi flows through the day and night without cease; from then on, the Infant (a Neidan term for the original spirit or Elixir embryo produced through cultivation) can preserve its life.

The Guanwu Pangansong says:

The mysteries of this Neidan cultivation are truly unfathomable.

The Xuanxue Tongzong says:

After several pulses of rising and lifting, it reaches Kunlun, and the Pivot of Jade turns, bringing the transformations of creation into view. Qi flows through the day and night without cease; from then on, the Infant can preserve its life.

The Guanwu Pangansong says:

This practice is ancient and profound. Its subtlety lies in continually observing that aperture (the opening through which Qi is observed in Neidan cultivation). This aperture is plainly before us, yet those of shallow understanding laugh when they hear of it.

Jindan Fu:

When exhaling, set the “Dragon and Tiger” in motion—the symbols of Yin and Yang Qi in Neidan practice. When inhaling, draw the Hun Qi inward and release the Po Qi outward. The Yin and Yang Qi of the north and south meet amid Water and Fire; the Qi dynamics of the east and west revolve between the hours of Zi and Wu.

Govern the laws that set Heaven and Earth—the Yin and Yang of Qian and Kun—in motion, and accord with the power that directs change. Mother and child, the mutually dependent Yin and Yang or medicines of cultivation, are contained within the enclosing chamber, the inner space of practice, where they take their support in the cauldron and crucible, symbols of alchemical refinement, and grow.

The Immortal of Junxian, Zhuyu Mountain, said:

Awaken further within awakening; deepen understanding within clarity. The spark of numinous, luminous true nature remains unobscured. Let its fierce radiance unfold and illuminate the Saha World, the world of ordinary experience in Buddhist teaching, appearing everywhere throughout the Dharma Realm, the totality formed by all things, distinct and clear on its own.

The signs of this cultivation are exceedingly subtle, like a wooden man pointing from afar to where the white clouds return. This Mysterious Pass, the crucial point where body and mind meet and Qi begins to stir in practice, is hard to put into words. Once it is truly grasped here and now, contrived distinctions are forgotten.

Master Nanguxi said:

The utmost Dao is not far away; it is always at the key aperture right before you. Seize the pivot of Heaven and Earth’s movement, and you can cultivate the immortal embryo, the inner sacred embryo of Neidan practice.

Master Chunyangzi said:

When someone asks me how to cultivate, I point from afar to the sun and moon at the edge of the sky.

The elegant words of these immortals all explain what directs the movement of Qi: the guiding force behind the circulation of breath.

The practice in this section conveys the same principle as the fourth section. The sections follow one another like pearls on a single thread: gather the medicines obtained through the prescribed method beneath Qujiang, the Neidan term for the place within the body where they are gathered; refine them with Fire until they rise to the position of Qian, which symbolizes Yang Qi and Heaven. Then bring the Yin and Yang of Qian and Kun together above the Nine Palaces, circulate them along the Circuit of Heaven, the cyclical route described in Neidan, and condense them in the cauldron.

Zhang Ziyang said:

All this takes only a moment, yet it brings enduring and limitless joy.

Light and clear Qi gathers in the Muddy Pellet, the Neidan term for the upper part of the head, while heavy and turbid Qi flows back to the Qi Cavity, the place within the body where Qi is stored. Day after day, as they are replenished and brought together, Mercury—the medicine symbolizing the Yin side—gradually increases, while Lead—the medicine symbolizing the Yang side—gradually diminishes. With time, the Lead is exhausted and the Mercury refined away. In the end, they form a single Mani, a wish-fulfilling jewel. This is the Great Returning Elixir of Golden Liquid, the state in Neidan practice in which the elixir is complete.

Thus Ma Yifu said:

Gather the gold from the Water and collect the seed of Bodhi, the seed of awakening. Set the Kunlun Wind in motion—the Neidan term for Qi circulating within the body—and you will enjoy long life, free from the suffering of birth, death, and rebirth.

The lead within Kan—the Yang Qi symbolized by the Kan trigram—was originally the father’s true Jing. The mercury within Li—the Yin Qi symbolized by the Li trigram—was originally the mother’s true blood. Since the substance of the Qian trigram, which represents pure Yang, was damaged, these two vital essences have been divided and scattered. Ordinary people dissipate and separate them day after day; once they are exhausted, they die.

Those who succeed in cultivation model themselves on the qualities of Qian and Kun and apply the workings of Kan and Li. By borrowing the creative power of Heaven and Earth, they transform the destiny they received at birth. They seek the Yang Qi within Kan and regulate the Yin within Li, using the Yang of Kan to replenish the Yin of Li. In this way, Yin is exhausted and Yang made complete, restoring the original state of Qianyuan, pure Yang.

Thus Zhang Ziyang says:

“Draw forth the solid Yang at the center of Kan and transmute the Yin within the belly of Li’s palace. From then on, you become a strong and vigorous body of pure Yang; whether hidden or revealed is governed by the mind.”

The sixth formula in The Principles of Dual Cultivation of Nature and Life and the Ten Thousand Spirits reads: “The numinous elixir enters the cauldron and nurtures the sacred embryo.”

(Diagram of the numinous elixir entering the cauldron)

(With an explanation of the stages of firing in elixir refinement)

At first, that tiny piece of pure gold lies blended indistinguishably within the ore. Under the force of the fire, it is refined and gradually rises to the Qian palace, the symbolic location of the head or upper Dantian. It is gathered little by little, then cooked and melted. Through repeated reduction and tempering, until the smoke and flames vanish and all the ore is gone, only pure gold remains. Thus a single Dragon-and-Tiger Golden Elixir is refined—the elixir used as an analogy for Neidan cultivation. It is perfectly round and responsive, like a dewdrop or a flash of lightning, neither mist nor smoke. Its radiance shines brightly, illuminating Kunlun, which here refers to the area around the crown of the head. When it spreads out, it seems to open a passage linking Heaven and Earth; when it contracts, it withdraws into the Emerald Subtlety Palace, a term for an inner palace within the body.

At this point, the medicinal substance no longer arises, the wheel of Qi no longer turns, the fluids no longer descend, and the firing no longer grows intense. The Five Qi, the Qi of the five organs, all turn toward upper Yang; the Three Blossoms, the essences of Jing, Qi, and Shen, gather at the crown of Qian. Yin is gradually stripped away, Yang becomes complete, the Neidan matures, and the numinous pearl appears.

Master Ziyang says:

“When all Yin has been stripped away, the Neidan is mature; break free of constraint, and you may live for ten thousand years.”

For this reason, many people in the Tang and Song dynasties who became immortals through “Corpse Release”—a Daoist method of transcending the physical body while leaving the remains behind—took a different path at this point. They could manifest their bodies at will and move freely in and out, yet were unwilling to advance beyond the level they had already attained. Thus they were mocked as belonging to the “Seven Destinies” and criticized for “falling into emptiness.” The reason was that they did not know how to reestablish their own nature and life, or reopen the Qian-Kun within themselves—the inner cosmos and order of life. They needed to transform their acquired nature into Buddha-nature, their discursive spirit into the Original Spirit, and reach the wondrous state of self-creation and self-transformation.

Those who cultivate life but do not understand how to create themselves anew merely sit motionless in a heterodox path; what they cultivate is not the true Way. Those who cultivate nature but do not understand how to create themselves anew fall into the inert emptiness of an external path, attached to stillness and emptiness while departing from the true teaching; what they study is not the true Dharma.

This method is a secret kept deeply hidden by the Immortals and Buddhas. Since the Jin and Yuan dynasties, few students of the Dao have known of it. Only my teacher, Master Yin, said: “The treasure in the cauldron is not the true treasure. Recondense the numinous embryo, and it becomes the sacred embryo.”

But the pearl is hidden in Kunlun—the upper region of the human body. How can it be brought down and condensed into the sacred embryo? One must use the Spirit Chamber, the bodily place that receives and refines the Neidan, drawing in numinous Yang true Qi to set it in motion, then forcing it through refinement with the true fire of the sun. After prolonged heating and urging, the numinous elixir will fall at the appointed time. Swallowed, it becomes liquid gold and shoots straight into the Cinnabar Chamber, the place where Neidan is refined. In an instant, Qi surges like rising clouds and falling rain, with lightning flashes and thunderclaps. After a fierce period of refinement, all the body’s Yin dregs can be consumed. Then the myriad numinous forces gather here like spokes converging on a hub, and the Seven Treasures like rivers flowing into the sea.

In ancient times, the Supreme Primordial Lady said to Laozi:

“Once the divine elixir enters the mouth, life endures without limit.”

Laozi therefore cultivated this method and became the Ancestor of the Dao.

Xu Xuanping said:

“When the spirit rests within the aperture, it gives rise to a thousand kinds of wisdom; when the elixir enters the cauldron, it brings forth ten thousand transformations.”

Chen Xubai said:

When I had just formed the sacred embryo—a symbolic embryo created as True Qi gathers in Neidan cultivation—the meridians throughout my body seemed to stop, and my breath no longer circulated.

Shi Jianwu said:

Heaven and humanity are originally one Qi, responsive and connected to each other. Yang Qi comes from the void and enfolds the master within my body—that is, the person’s original spirit or true nature.

Yet I have already placed the numinous Elixir, refined through cultivation, in the furnace and cauldron—the body’s inner place of refinement—and must continue cultivating so that the inner and outer work together. When my own De accords with that of Heaven and Earth, a spark of True Yang will naturally arise in the Great Void and unite with my numinous Elixir. The numinous nature within me responds to the numinous nature of Heaven and Earth; thus, my inner True Qi answers the outer world and merges with it completely.

The Scripture of Gold and Jade says, “A lodestone draws iron; even with an obstacle between them, they communicate unseen.” This is precisely what is meant. At this stage of cultivation, all depends on clarity and stillness.

Laozi said, “If people can remain constantly clear and still, all things in Heaven and Earth will return to them.” When the two Yang Qi first join and the sacred embryo begins to form, one must remain alert and watch over it at all times, guarding it closely. Be as careful as a young dragon beginning to nurture its pearl, or a maiden pregnant for the first time. Close the spirit chamber, the inner space where the original spirit is nurtured, so that Jing and Qi do not disperse.

Thus the Perfected Tai Bai said, “Hold firm, keep closed, and let nothing leak out; then transformation will happen in an instant.” One must also keep watch throughout the day, in every ordinary activity and posture, keeping the mind constantly here. Remain in a state of quiet, undivided stillness, as though within the mother’s womb: calm and free of desire all day, undisturbed by external things, without a moment’s interruption.

Ge Xianweng said:

With every breath, return to the Central Palace,

without interruption;

then innate True Qi will naturally gather

and grow firm within the embryo.

Zhang Yongcheng said:

Once a single grain of the numinous Elixir is swallowed,

you know that your fate is not decreed by Heaven.

Shi Dezhi said:

Take the numinous Elixir and hold it in your palm;

its rosy light shines brilliantly.

Swallow it, and the palaces within your body

are renewed.

Zhao Yuandu said:

The divine Elixir descends into the Golden Chamber,

and the infant is born in the Land of Supreme Bliss.

Lü Chunyang said:

Take a tiny measure of the Elixir, and the alchemical text appears;

thus you escape the prison of the mortal world

and ascend to the Nine Heavens.

Zhu Wen Gong said:

A small portion of the Elixir enters the belly,

and the palaces within the body are renewed.

The divine elixir, formed through Neidan (internal alchemy) cultivation, flies down into the Golden Chamber, the place within the body where the elixir is refined. The infant, symbolizing the sacred embryo formed through cultivation, is born in the Land of Ultimate Bliss, an ideal immortal realm.

Lü Chunyang says:

Swallow the daogui—an ancient measure for medicine, here referring to the internal elixir—and the transformations described in the Elixir Scripture will come to pass. One will thereby escape the prison of the mundane world and ascend to the ninth heaven.

Zhu Wengong says:

Once the daogui is swallowed, wings can grow beneath the open sky, and one can fly up and away.

Li Qing’an says:

Swallow a single pearl, and you can become kin to the immortals of the Quanzhen (Complete Perfection) tradition.

Chen Xiyi says:

Nothing can be seen in the elixir chamber, yet its inner workings remain concealed there, forming the sacred embryo.

Xue Zixian says:

The Four Forms—four symbolic forces that work together in cultivation—converge and return to wuji, represented by the Heavenly Stems wu and ji, which signify the center and harmony. After ten months of diligent cultivation, an infant is born.

The Wuzhen pian (Treatise on Awakening to Reality) says:

Fruit growing on a branch will eventually ripen. The growth of a fetus in its mother’s womb is much the same.

The Zui zhong yin (Song While Drunk) says:

The precious pearl dances with delight as it leaves the Heavenly Valley, a place within the body described in Daoist teachings. It has only just left one womb, yet enters another.

Zhang Ziyang says:

The infant is a living being that contains the true Qi of primordial origin. After ten months, the embryo is complete, and the foundation for becoming a sage is established.

The Zui zhong yin says:

The precious pearl dances with delight as it leaves the Heavenly Valley. It has only just left one womb, yet enters another.

Zhang Ziyang says:

The infant is a living being that contains the true Qi of primordial origin. After ten months, the embryo is complete, and the foundation for becoming a sage is established.

Lü Chunyang says:

A single thing born of Heaven transforms into the Three Powers—Heaven, Earth, and humanity. Yin and Yang interact and join, forming the sacred embryo.

Bai Yuchan says:

A hen hatching an egg keeps her mind and spirit intent on listening throughout. Only after the cicada has fully grown does its shell split open. The egg and the cicada’s shedding of its shell illustrate how cultivation requires a calm mind and patient watchfulness: when the time is ripe, transformation comes naturally.

Yu Shijian says:

At the tiger’s roar, the dragon leaps from its cave. The luan bird flies and the phoenix dances; together they enter the Golden City, a symbol of the place where the internal elixir is cultivated.

The Qunxian zhuyu (Pearls of the Immortals) says:

Swallow a single pill of elixir, and you can share the longevity of Heaven and Earth; life and death will no longer concern you.

Zhang Ziyang says:

The Qi of Yin and Yang absorbs and blends with itself, while also becoming mutually harmonious. Only then does one understand that a practitioner of the Dao can also conceive a sacred embryo within the body.

Zhongli Weng says:

The infant within the womb has taken shape, and must now be carefully nourished. Keep watch over the elixir chamber at every moment, and constantly guard the Yellow Center—the central place within the body, also symbolizing the cultivation of harmony and centeredness.

Chen Nifan says:

A man carries an immortal embryo within him, because the toad’s radiance—the inner light likened to the glow of the moon—grows full night after night. Master the true workings of creation, and a Jade-Clear Heaven, the pure realm of Daoist immortals, will naturally appear within the body.

Chen Baoyi says:

The Great Dao shows no partiality; when there is a fitting response, it manifests. Could the words of the immortals be empty? If you do not devote yourself to investigating lead and mercury, terms in internal alchemy that symbolize Yin-Yang essence and Qi, how can you grasp the workings of Heaven and form the sacred embryo?

The Xuan’ao ji says:

In Langyuan, the fabled paradise where immortals dwell, there is a Pure Jade Heaven, a pristine celestial realm in Daoist teaching.

Chen Baoyi says:

The Great Dao shows no partiality. When there is a mutual response, it naturally manifests. Could the words spoken by the immortals be false? If you do not earnestly seek “lead and mercury,” terms in Neidan for the Yin-Yang essences and Qi, how can you grasp the secrets of Heaven and form the “sacred embryo,” the internal elixir formed through cultivation?

The Xuan’ao ji says:

When the peaches of immortality in Langyuan ripen, pick and eat them without delay. Gather and refine them secretly several times over, so that even the many immortals know nothing of it.

Long Meizi says:

Its shape is like a cluster of sparrow eggs, or like smooth, round black pearls. After the dragon child is born from the womb, it is swallowed; by then, the cultivator has attained the state of a “land-traveling immortal,” able to walk the earth with the powers of an immortal.

The Perfected One of Zixu says:

At the beginning of refining the “Returning Elixir”—gathering essence and Qi through inner cultivation and returning to the source—one must cultivate in seclusion, in a quiet room. This is no different from a woman’s pregnancy. Once the sacred embryo has fully formed, coming and going, moving and resting, are no longer constrained.

Bai Ziqing says:

Harmonize Wu and Ji, symbolic of Yin and Yang in the Earth phase, and form the elixir. Refine the red pill until it is as smooth and lustrous as jade fat. Patiently follow the “fire timing,” a metaphor in Neidan for the stages and measure of the process, and guard the practice for three hundred days. In the end, a pill like a luminous pearl is produced.

In the song Zhang Zhenren presented to the master of Bailong Cave, Bai Ziqing says:

These four lines repeat the passage above and mean the same thing.

The song Zhang Zhenren presented to the master of Bailong Cave says:

From then on, the root and shoot gradually grow. Water and protect the true essence at every moment. After ten months, the sacred embryo is born and remains within the body; before one realizes it, the mortal body has acquired spiritual qualities.

Bai Yuchan says:

What a strange thing—enough to make one laugh again and again: men, too, now become pregnant. One’s own essence and blood join within oneself; Yin and Yang naturally unite within the body. How wondrous!

Huang Yuanji says:

The Golden Elixir in the vessel shines with radiance, yet cannot be plucked directly and sent to the Yellow Chamber, the place within the body where the elixir is cultivated in Neidan. Suddenly, in the middle of the night, the celestial wind rises and sends the spirit child back to its homeland.

Chen Cuixu says:

The essential secret of cultivating the Dao is to nurture an infant within emptiness; there is another true key to it. Because it seems simple yet contains the secrets of Heaven, it is scattered through the alchemical texts without ever being openly disclosed.

Wang Chongyang says:

In a quiet moment, I happened by Mount Tiantai and suddenly saw five-colored clouds unfurl. It seemed the Golden Elixir was just beginning to change, so I took it from the vessel and formed it into an infant. This is all because the secret of Heaven seems simple yet wondrous: it is scattered through the alchemical books, but never openly disclosed.

Wang Chongyang said:

One day, in a moment of leisure, I happened to come to Mount Tiantai. Suddenly, I saw five-colored rosy clouds blossom open. I thought, “The Golden Elixir is beginning to transform.” So I gathered it back into the cauldron and furnace, where it coalesced into an infant.

Shangyangzi said:

If the Jade Emperor asks about the ingredients for refining the Elixir, take them from the crescent-moon furnace. The hero roams far and wide, then swallows a single pill. A man carries a child for a year, nurturing it until it takes form.

Chen Zhixu said:

When hungry, eat; when thirsty, drink; when tired, sleep. The Way is clear and simple: follow what comes naturally. After ten months, the holy embryo is fully formed. A clap of thunder sounds, and the Elixir embryo emerges from the mountain.

As for the Buddhist teaching on cultivation, it comes down to this same principle. The Shurangama Sutra says: The practitioner’s cultivation accords with the Buddha and receives the Buddha’s breath. In their stage of development, they are like an intermediate being—the transitional form between death and rebirth—who seeks parents of their own accord. The parents secretly accord with this being and connect with it unseen; the practitioner then enters the lineage of the Tathagata. This is called “Dwelling in Nobility of Birth.” Once within the embryo of the Way, the practitioner personally receives the milk of awakening. The embryo gradually grows into the form of an adult. When it is complete in every respect, this is called “Dwelling in Fullness.” When its appearance resembles the Buddha’s and its mind accords with his, this is called “Dwelling in Right Mind.” As body and mind join and grow day by day, this is called “Dwelling in Non-Retrogression.” When all ten wondrous spiritual forms are present at once, this is called “Dwelling in Innocence.” When its form is complete and it emerges from the womb, becoming a Buddha’s child in its own right, this is called “Dwelling as a Dharma Prince.” It manifests the form of an adult, as when a king entrusts the affairs of state to his grown heir. When a Kshatriya king performs the consecration rite for his crown prince, this is called “Dwelling in Consecration.”

To enter the lineage of the Tathagata is to make that lineage the seed of the Tathagata and bring forth the Tathagata through one’s own transformation. Hence it is called the “embryo of the Way,” and also the “milk of awakening.” How does this differ from a woman carrying a child, or from the fetal immortal (the immortal embryo formed through cultivation) spoken of in Daoist practice? When its form is complete and it emerges from the womb, becoming a Buddha’s child in its own right, is this not the beginning of the True Person’s manifestation and the great display of spiritual powers—something worthy of congratulations among the Celestial Immortals?

Texts on the Elixir Way and Buddhist scriptures alike contain stages of cultivation and oral instructions. People simply do not know this: they read in haste and pass them by, like pearls fallen by the roadside that no one stops to pick up. It is truly a pity. I have now excerpted a little of this material and brought it to light, to cite the words of congratulation exchanged by the ancients.

Both alchemical writings and Buddhist scriptures describe stages of practice and oral formulas. People simply do not recognize them: they often read past them in haste, though a precious pearl lies right beside the road for anyone to pick up. This is truly a pity. I will now excerpt several passages and present them as evidence for affirming what the ancients got right and correcting the errors of people today.

The firing process (the regulation of progress in cultivation and the degree of breath adjustment during alchemical practice; the diagrams are titled “Diagram Upholding the Correct Firing Process” and “Diagram for Nurturing the Sacred Embryo”)

The firing process is the most secret matter, and sages do not usually pass it on lightly. Here, however, it is revealed. Without fire, the medicine—the elixir spoken of in cultivation—cannot form. Once the medicine has matured, the work of the firing process is complete. The firing process also arises in response to the medicine; when it reaches its proper point, the elixir is refined. Its workings are profound and cannot be reduced to a single rule.

Before attaining the elixir, one must use strong fire—the more vigorous methods of cultivation—to bring it together. After attaining the elixir, one must use gentle fire—soft, sustained practice—to nourish it. Gentle fire is the process by which the elixir is consolidated. The method of nurturing it lies in regulating cold and heat, advance and retreat, and strength and softness in cultivation.

The Cantong qi says, “Observe the firing process with care; discern the cold and the warm in detail.” When one senses that the fire has not yet stirred, one uses the Xun wind, a method of regulating the breath likened to wind, to set it in motion. Once the fire has stirred, one uses spirit-water, likened to water and referring to saliva or a nourishing effect, to help it circulate freely. If the fire is too strong, reduce it; if it is too weak, increase it. Keep it moderate and balanced, avoiding both excess heat and excess cold.

The root of excessive heat and excessive cold in the firing process lies in the thoughts. Chen Xubai says, “Do not let thoughts arise recklessly, for once they do, the fire grows dry and fierce. Do not let the mind become scattered, for once it does, the fire grows cold. When thoughts do not arise and the mind does not scatter, one holds an inner light in silent stillness, and the breath is long, fine, and slow. With the heart-mind rounded in clarity and awareness, and with wakefulness maintained throughout, this is the true firing process for nurturing the sacred embryo.”

Thus Bai Yuchan says, “Gather the medicine in stillness; carry out the firing process through Wuwei (non-action).”

Zhang Sanfeng says, “Use silence and gentleness to keep the nature of the fire steady; nurture the spirit embryo without deliberate effort and without letting it slip from awareness.”

Liu Haichan says, “Rest in ease and Wuwei, letting the supreme treasure melt; use a subtle, gentle fire to nourish the hidden true dragon.”

True fire arises and develops naturally. It needs no firewood or charcoal, nor does it require anyone to fan the flames.

Another person said:

Rather than fuss over the medicine furnace and insist on regulating the firing process, it is better to calm the mind, even out the breath, and let things unfold naturally.

These four were all outstanding among the immortals. Through natural true fire and the wondrous workings of nature, they attained the highest Dao. When did they ever become fixated on the lines of the trigrams, the amounts of medicinal substances, or calculations of the years, months, days, and hours?

Today, some people misunderstand the intent of the immortal masters. Fixated on outward symbols and words, they take the finger pointing at the moon for the moon itself. They insist on calculating the number of lines in the trigrams and seek to match them with the Yin-Yang principles in the books of divination. I fear they will toil all their lives without seeing results, then suddenly die from exhaustion, still unaware of where they are ultimately bound.

Have they not heard Zhang Ping say:

Once you grasp the true meaning, you should forget the outward images. If you pore over each line without end, you will only waste your effort.

Gao Xiangxian said:

By day and night, follow the changes symbolized by the Zhun and Meng hexagrams, and let things unfold naturally. Why keep your eyes fixed on the firing process, tireless in your efforts?

Chen Chongsu said:

Although refining involves a firing process, there is no need to bind it to specific times. I will grasp its subtle essentials myself.

Peng Zhenyi said:

True fire has never had a fixed form. Without a master’s instruction, it is difficult to grasp.

Xiao Zixu said:

Once understood, the blending of the medicinal substances is not difficult. But putting the changes in the firing process into practice and keeping them in balance may prove difficult.

Here, “true fire,” “medicinal substances,” and “firing process” are terms used in Neidan cultivation. “True fire” refers to the inner force at work during cultivation; “medicinal substances” refers to inner foundations such as Jing and Qi that are cultivated and refined; and the “firing process” refers to managing the course and pace of cultivation. The passage emphasizes that these cannot be mastered merely by calculating the trigrams and dates. One must also follow nature and receive guidance through a teacher’s transmission.

Peng Zhenyi also said:

True fire has never had a fixed form. Without a master’s instruction, it is difficult to grasp.

Xiao Zixu also said:

Once understood, the blending of the medicinal substances is not difficult. But putting the changes in the firing process into practice and keeping them in balance may prove difficult.

In ten months of refining and nurturing, the breath should become fine and long, continuing without interruption. The saying that the cycles of Qi span thirty thousand years is also reflected in the breath’s ceaseless movement back and forth. A treasure is nurtured within the Dantian (the lower abdomen’s site of internal cultivation), and this treasure remains within the elixir cauldron, a metaphor for Neidan practice. Once the Elixir Pearl matures, it sets the River Chariot in motion, referring to Qi circulating through the body’s meridians. It leaves the world from the sea of the Tail Gate, an opening at the base of the spine, and moves to the Heavenly Valley, an inner cultivation point in the head, the mountain of Kunlun and Penglai. The first few lines describe the moment when, as Neidan is perfected, one sheds the body and enters the sun. The last line describes shedding the shell after the work is complete. The two lines in between describe gently nurturing the Elixir Pearl and cultivating the sacred embryo.

Zhang Sanfeng said:

Talk of years, months, days, and hours can easily lead people to become attached; talk of hexagram lines, weights, and measures can also seem scattered. If you can grasp the meaning of the breath continuing without interruption, you are practicing “neither forgetting nor forcing”: keeping cultivation in mind without deliberately straining to make it grow.

Bai Ziqing said: The worldly are shallow in understanding. How could ordinary people who have not yet practiced know that the Primordial Celestial Worthy, along with the celestial and earthly immortals, gathers the medicinal substance day after day without stopping, and that the substance they gather is inexhaustible? How could they know that the mountains, rivers, and earth, together with all living beings, are constantly tending the firing process—the regulation of breath, body, and mind in internal cultivation—without ever forcing it forward, while the process continues without cease? When the spirit is settled, Jing and Qi gather. The various treasures that form are the medicinal substances needed to conceive the embryo. The True Breath, the naturally fine breath cultivated through practice, comes and goes without the slightest interruption; this is the firing process used to nurture it.

Chen Xubai said: To grasp the essentials of the firing process, one should especially seek understanding through the True Breath.

Qiu Changchun said: When a single thought never leaves the heart, this is true emptiness. It is the true fire used to nurture the embryo. The true fire is my spirit; it shares its source with the spirit of Heaven and Earth and the spirit of emptiness. The true timing is my breath; it is connected to the breath of Heaven and Earth and the breath of emptiness.

Zuo Yuanfang said:

The firing process is Wuwei, in harmony with nature. The natural true fire is used to nurture the embryo immortal. Simply gather the spirit and guard the breath, dwelling calmly in the elixir gate, the inner cultivation site of the Dantian, and harmonize the precelestial and postcelestial.

Wang Chongyang said:

Once the sacred embryo has taken shape, nurture it with a gentle fire. Settle the mind and spirit, steady the breath, and let everything proceed naturally.

At this stage, the mind and spirit and the movement of Qi respond to one another: here, Shen communicates through resonance, and there, Shen answers. The wondrous workings of innate nature unfold naturally in this way.

From this I understand that what is called “spirit and breath” refers to the timing and measure of the inner fire in cultivation: the moment when Shen and the breath of Qi harmonize with one another. Mencius’s words, “Do not forget, but do not help it grow,” mean that one must neither forget nor deliberately force its growth. Laozi’s “continuous, as if it were present” describes a breath that is subtle and enduring, seeming to exist without being deliberately attended to. The Buddhist saying “neither diligent nor idle” means that cultivation must involve neither excessive effort nor slackness. All these expressions describe the subtle timing of spirit and breath as they move naturally.

Thus it is said:

The immortals will not plainly reveal every secret. If they explained it too clearly, they would invite ridicule.

Zhen Collection: “Formula for Dual Cultivation of Nature and Life,” Section Seven

The Infant Appears and Leaves the Sea of Suffering

(Diagrams of the Infant Taking Form and Leaving the Sea of Suffering)

(Includes “Principles for Refining the Form in the True Void”)

The inner fire has now reached its full measure, and the sacred embryo—the image of the inner breath formed through cultivation—has come to completion. As fruit must ripen and an infant must be born, so after ten months it emerges from the womb.

Buddhism calls this state the “Dharma Body” or the “True Form”; Daoism calls it the “Red Child” or the “Infant.” When the “Infant” undergoes the transfer of the womb and the changing of the vessel, it leaps forth and settles in concealment between the Qi cavity—the inner place where the movement of Qi gathers in cultivation—as if opening up a new world of primordial chaos.

This acupoint is where immortals conceive the immortal embryo and settle the breath. It is also where the Red Child—the inner infant of cultivation, symbolizing the embryo of the Elixir—finds its home and establishes its life. Since this is a familiar place, one can return along the way one came. Once the infant sits quietly in the still chamber and settles in the Daoist sanctuary, it must be nurtured in a profound and mysterious way, and guarded with a tranquil, Wuwei (non-action) mind. At first, it is cultivated with the Yellow Sprout of the Mother Kun, symbolizing the Earth and its Yin, nourishing power, and the vitality cultivated through Neidan (internal alchemy). Then it is nourished by gathering the vitality of Heaven and Earth. The inner and outer respond to one another, extending from near to far. Breath naturally flows in and out; the gate naturally opens and closes. Activity and stillness both arise of themselves, free and unrestrained—like an immortal roaming the land of No-Being, or the Tathagata meditating in the sea of extinction.

Even after reaching this state of great bliss, one must still guard the Gate of Origin (Guanyuan), an acupoint in the lower abdomen and an important place for preservation and cultivation in Neidan. Do not let the six sense objects—forms, sounds, smells, tastes, touch, and mental phenomena—turn into demonic thieves that intrude from outside; nor let inner afflictions stir up trouble like treacherous ministers. Whether sitting or lying down, keep the mind continually clear. Whether pausing or moving, practice diligently and broadly. In this way, the six gates—the entrances and exits of the six senses and consciousness—will not leak, the path of cultivation within the body will remain open, the true body will be steady and unchanging, and the foundation of the Elixir will remain firm for a long time.

Guard and nourish it day and night, like a dragon protecting its pearl or a mother raising her child. Do not forget it for even a moment, and never lose awareness for an instant.

Zhongli Weng said:

“The child is young and has not yet come of age;

it must rely on Mother Kun’s nurturing care.”

He also said:

“Though you have realized the free and at ease mind of Wuwei,

you must still continue to nurture it gently and preserve your true nature.”

Li Qing’an said:

“The Elixir is not forged by deliberate effort, yet it forms naturally through cultivation;

the Dao lies in Wuwei, yet even within Wuwei there is action.

Quiet distracting thoughts and sever entanglements; regulate and nourish the primordial Qi inherited from Heaven;

forget hearing and seeing, and nurture the inner infant.”

Lü Chunyang said:

The infant in the abdomen (a metaphor for the Neidan or sacred embryo nurtured through cultivation) has matured, but should remain in the human world for a time, adapting to everyday circumstances. If a learned person speaks too freely and acts recklessly in all directions, they will enter the depths of the white clouds, far from their former dwelling.

Nurturing the sacred embryo—continuing to regulate and stabilize the results of cultivation—is an essential part of becoming an immortal. If this care is mishandled, the infant may leave the body and lose its support. One must then guard it carefully and not let it depart at will. Once it leaves and loses its way, it will have no home and nowhere to return.

For this reason, Bai Yuchan lamented: “One must set the fishing rod in order again, then cut fresh bamboo for an autumn pole.” This image of preparing one’s tools anew expresses the need to restore one’s practice after a misstep.

Shangyangzi says:

“Having reached the stage of returning to nine and seven, one has brought Wood and Metal together and united three and five. Jing and Qi are full, and Shen is strong. At the time of changing the embryo, care for the infant well and do not let it travel far.”

The key to guarding it lies in tightly gathering in the ears, eyes, and mouth.

The Cantong qi says:

“The ears, eyes, and mouth are three treasures. Close and gather them in; do not let them stray outward. The perfected person enters a profound, abyss-like stillness, moves there at ease, and keeps to the center.”

In practice, one uses the eyes to observe the eyes, the ears to listen to the ears, the nose to regulate the breath, and the mouth to remain silent. Though thoughts may stir within, one should rest in the single mind of right concentration. Then external sounds, sights, smells, and tastes will not draw one away, and the mind will not be trapped by subjective assumptions, insistence on getting one’s way, or attachment to the self. The mind will naturally become clear and still, and distracting thoughts will subside, allowing the original “red child”—a metaphor for the pure, unstained original mind—to dwell there in peace.

Yet beyond gathering in the ears, eyes, and mouth, one must also remove three harms from within: misguided thoughts, vexation, and anger. Master Daojue says, “Cultivate precepts, concentration, and wisdom; cut off greed, anger, and delusion.” Greed and delusion are relatively easy to restrain, but the poison of anger is the hardest to subdue.

The Secret of the Sacred Embryo says: “When the fire of anger flares, the true Qi within the embryo flees like a galloping horse. Only after the flames die down and the smoke has dispersed can it return to its dwelling.”

A Confucian scholar of the Song dynasty also said: “If the fire of resentment is left unchecked, it will surely spread into calamity. If the waters of desire are not held back, how could they fail to burst through the banks and bring disaster?”

The Ritual for Cultivating and Realizing the Way at the Perfect Enlightenment Dharma Assembly says: When a single thought of anger arises, it opens the gates to eight kinds of obstruction. To remove anger, one can follow Laozi’s teaching of “daily reduction”—gradually diminishing selfish desires—the Zhouyi’s counsel to “restrain anger,” and the World-Honored One’s instruction to “observe with awareness,” clearly watching one’s own thoughts.

The eminent monk Miaopu said: When the fire of anger blazes, I observe it with awareness. This is like hot water melting ice. Once it is clearly observed, one no longer clings to distinctions. The fire of anger has no fixed, abiding nature; it arises from ignorance, from not understanding the truth.

A verse in the Baoji Jing says: To kindle fire by drilling wood requires various conditions; when those conditions do not come together, fire does not arise. Unpleasant feelings are just the same: ultimately, they have no substance. Understand that the nature of sound is empty, and anger will no longer arise. Anger is neither in the sound nor lodged in the body. It arises only when causes and conditions converge; without them, anger has no basis for arising.

This is like milk and other ingredients: only when the conditions come together can they be made into butter and curds. Anger itself has no inherent nature; it is provoked by harsh and unpleasant circumstances. Those who do not understand this are burned by afflictions. One should recognize that anger ultimately has no substance and is quiescent by nature; it is merely a name provisionally assigned. The true nature of anger accords with reality. If one observes in accordance with Suchness—the true, undeluded nature of things—and understands that anger is like the Dharma Realm, the shared true nature of all things, this is called the “anger samadhi”: meditative concentration that observes anger without being moved by it.

The Baoji Jing also says: Natural wisdom breaks through the shell of ignorance. Ignorance then becomes a torch of wisdom, and the fire of anger is transformed into a lamp in the heart. When the poison of anger is removed, the eighty-four thousand afflictions are extinguished along with it.

The Buddhist scriptures say: Regard all kinds of demonic obstruction as equal; afflictions are their first manifestation. They also say: The demonic obstructions that appear before a bodhisattva have no substance at their root, just like afflictions.

The scripture says: When people of wisdom encounter suffering or joy, their minds do not waver, like the open sky. By observing afflictions skillfully, they can at the same time let go of attachment to “self” and “what belongs to me.”

It is also said: When we observe sentient beings with unobstructed great compassion—a compassion that meets no hindrance—we see that all afflictions arise from deluded thoughts and mistaken attachments. Once we understand the nature of afflictions, we see that they can dissolve on their own. To remain aware of this at every moment is Bodhi (awakening). The nature of afflictions is the very nature of Bodhi.

It is also said: The realm manifested by afflictions is also the realm of the Buddha. To observe that afflictions are empty in their nature is right practice.

It is also said: To dispel afflictions, one should maintain right mindfulness—clear and correct awareness.

The Fourth Patriarch also said: All afflictions and karmic hindrances are empty and still by nature.

Reflect carefully on the central meaning of the Buddha’s scriptures: Afflictions are empty by nature, so there is no need to regard them as obstacles. Treat them as dreams and illusions, and do not take them to heart. Even when circumstances stir emotions, it is like a sound meeting an echo: once the response has passed, it falls silent. If you can be this way, afflictions and worldly turmoil need not be deliberately cut off; they will dissolve on their own. Nor need the embryo of the true and the infant—the symbol of one’s innate, pure nature—be deliberately fashioned; its numinous clarity will appear of itself.

Another scripture says:

With the sword of wisdom, strike down the thieves of affliction; with the blade of wisdom, sever the net of affliction; with the fire of wisdom, burn away the kindling of affliction.

The monk Yuanzhao said: Afflictions and worldly turmoil need not be deliberately cut off; they will dissolve on their own. The embryo of the true and the infant need not be deliberately cultivated; its numinous clarity will appear of itself.

Another scripture says:

With the sword of wisdom, strike down the thieves of affliction; with the blade of wisdom, sever the net of affliction; with the fire of wisdom, burn away the kindling of affliction.

The monk Yuanzhao said:

When faced with the demons and hindrances of affliction, meet them with a pure heart and remain joyful.

Layman Pang said:

Look closely: the four great elements that make up the body—earth, water, fire, and wind—are empty by nature. Where, then, can affliction take hold?

Chao Wenyuan said:

The body is like a dream or illusion, with no lasting reality. The affairs of the world are like wind and clouds; they cannot linger for long. Once you have understood this thoroughly, let go decisively. Since the demons and hindrances of affliction are empty, let what has passed be past.

Zhang Ziyang said:

One may say that when the Dao is profound, the Dragon and Tiger submit; when De is deep, ghosts and spirits show reverence. Once you understand that your life endures and is equal to Heaven and Earth, there is no reason for affliction to trouble your heart any longer.

The Platform Sutra of the Sixth Patriarch says: Ordinary people are Buddhas by nature, and afflictions are Bodhi by nature. When the previous thought is deluded, one is an ordinary person; when the next thought awakens, one is a Buddha. When the previous thought clings to external circumstances, affliction arises; when the next thought is freed from them, that is Bodhi.

Therefore, the Yingluo Sutra…